| Chinese Text Project |
| 仲尼曰： | Zhong-ni said, |
| 「昔者周公攝政， | 'Formerly, when the duke of Zhou was administering the government, |
| 踐阼而治， | he did so while he (continued to) go up by the eastern steps. |
| 抗世子法於伯禽， | He (also) set forth the rules for a crown prince in (his dealing with) Bo-Qin, |
| 所以善成王也。 | and it was thus that he secured the excellence of king Cheng. |
| 聞之曰：為人臣者，殺其身有益於君則為之，況於其身以善其君乎？ | I have heard it said, "A minister will sacrifice himself to benefit his ruler, and how much more will he swerve from the ordinary course to secure his excellence!" |
| 周公優為之！ | This was what the duke of Zhou did with ease and unconcern. |
| 」是故知為人子，然後可以為人父；知為人臣，然後可以為人君；知事人，然後能使人。成王幼，不能蒞阼，以為世子，則無為也，是故抗世子法於伯禽，使之與成王居，欲令成王之知父子、君臣、長幼之義也。 | Therefore he who knows how to show himself what a son should be can afterwards show himself what a father should be; he who knows how to show himself what a minister should be can afterwards show himself what a ruler should be; he who knows how to serve others can afterwards employ them. King Cheng, being quite young, could not discharge the duties of the government. He had no means of learning how to show himself what the crown prince should be. On this account the rules for a crown prince were exhibited in (the treatment of) Bo-Qin, and he was made to live with the young king that the latter might thus understand all that was right between father and son, ruler and minister, elders and youngers.' |
| Character | Composition | Variants | Reading | Meaning | Hanyu | Kangxi | Cihai |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | |
| 曰 | 曰+0 | yuē ㄩㄝ | (1) 說。 Say, speak. | v2,p1482#02 | p.502#01 | p.648r3c03 | |
| 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 | |
| 周公 | 口+5 八+2 | 週 𠱬 𠄗 㒶 | zhōu gōng ㄓㄡ ㄍㄨㄥ | Same as 「周文公」 zhōu wén gōng ㄓㄡ ㄨㄣˊ ㄍㄨㄥ: 姓姬，名旦，西周政治家。 Duke Wen of Zhou | v1,p0606#03 v1,p0242#01 | p.181#36 p.126#28 | p.151r3c01 |
| 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 |
| 政 | 攴+4 | zhèng zhēng ㄓㄥˋ ㄓㄥ | government, political affairs | v2,p1453#03 | p.469#06 | p.601r2c01 | |
| 踐 | 足+8 | 践 | jiàn ㄐㄧㄢˋ | trample, tread upon, walk on | v6,p3714#06 | p.1227#17 | p.1291r4c01 |
| 阼 | 阜+5 | zuò ㄗㄨㄛˋ | the steps leading to the eastern door | v6,p4121#06 | p.1348#01 | p.1415r5c01 | |
| 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. | ||||||
| 治 | 水+5 | 乿 | zhì ㄓˋ | Rule, administer. / Well ruled, peaceful and orderly. / Punish, execute. / Cure, treat (an illness). / Prepare. / Construct. / Research, study. | v3,p1599#06 | p.614#07 | p.776r5c02 |
| 抗 | 手+4 | 亢 | kàng káng ㄎㄤˋ ㄎㄤˊ | resist, oppose, defy, reject | v3,p1843#04 | p.422#02 | p.564r1c01 |
| 世 | 一+4 | 丗 卋 | shì ㄕˋ | generation; world; era | v1,p0014#06 | p.77#11 | p.35r1c02 |
| 子 | 子+0 | 㜽 𢀈 𢀉 𡐫 𣕓 只 | zǐ ㄗˇ | Child, heir. Refers to both sons and daughters. / Love, charity. / Respectful term for a man. / People in general. / Fourth of the five levels of nobility. / First of the twelve earthly branches of the zodiac. | v2,p1006#06 | p.277#01 | p.395r1c01 |
| 法 | 水+5 | 佱 灋 𣳴 | fǎ ㄈㄚˇ | Law, penal code. / Principle, system. / Standard. / Method, way of doing. / Follow, imitate. / Adhere to the rules. / The Legalist school. | v3,p1579#04 | p.616#11 | p.778r4c01 |
| 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 |
| 伯 | 人+5 | bó bǎi bà ㄅㄛˊ ㄅㄞˇ ㄅㄚˋ | older brother; father's elder brother; senior male 'sire'; feudal rank 'count' | v1,p0136#02 | p.96#16 | p.93r5c03 | |
| 禽 | 禸+8 | 𢄕 | qín ㄑㄧㄣˊ | birds, fowl; surname;; capture | v1,p0199#04 | p.848#13 | p.986r5c03 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 成 | 戈+2 | 𢦩 | chéng ㄔㄥˊ | completed, finished, fixed | v2,p1399#01 | p.411#11 | |
| 王 | 玉+0 | wáng ㄨㄤˊ | King, title of supreme ruler of the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties. / Ruler of a vassal state in the warring states period. / Highest title in feudal China. / Meet with the emperor. / Respectful term for one's paternal grandparents. | v2,p1099#10 | p.727#02 | p.888r1c02 | |
| wàng ㄨㄤˋ | Rule as king, control all under heaven. / Enfeoff as king. / Flourish, abound. | ||||||
| wǎng ㄨㄤˇ | To, go to. | ||||||
| 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 |
| 聞 | 耳+8 | 𦕁 䎽 䎹 𦖫 𥹢 闻 | wén ㄨㄣˊ | Hear. / Make hear. / Have heard, become aware of. / Knowledge, experience. / Rumour, saying. / Renowned, well-known. / Spread, disseminate. | v7,p4294#12 | p.968#11 | p.1084r3c01 |
| wèn ㄨㄣˋ | Reputation, fame. / Same as 「問(2)」 wèn ㄨㄣˋ: Inquire after, give regards to. | ||||||
| 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 |
| 曰 | 曰+0 | yuē ㄩㄝ | Say, speak. / Call, name. / Particle. | v2,p1482#02 | p.502#01 | p.648r3c03 | |
| 為 | 火+5 | 爲 为 | wéi ㄨㄟˊ | Create, make. / Build, construct. / Do. / Plant, grow. / Govern. / Research, study. / Serve as. / Change into, become. / As, in the role of. / Count as, be considered as. / Called, named. / Expresses judgement: is. / Make, cause (to). / Have. / Take part in. / Write, author. / Connective: if. / Particle used in the middle of a sentence to move forward the object. / Modal particle used at the end of a sentence to express a rhetorical question. | v3,p2198#11 | p.669#10 | p.844r4c03 |
| wèi ㄨㄟˋ | Help, assist. / Preposition: for, on behalf of. / Preposition: by (passive). / Preposition: because of, due to. / Preposition: with, together with. / Connective: because. / Say. / False, fake. | ||||||
| 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 |
| 臣 | 臣+0 | 𢘑 | chén ㄔㄣˊ | minister, statesman, official | v4,p2801#01 | p.999#13 | p.1106r2c02 |
| 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. | ||||||
| 殺 | 殳+7 | 殺 煞 𢁛 𢽅 𢿹 𢽆 𢼡 𢿔 𧤿 杀 | shā ㄕㄚ | Kill. / Corrupt, ruin. / Die. / Fight, kill each other. | v3,p2157#01 | p.585#11 | p.743r4c02 |
| shài ㄕㄞˋ | Wither, decline. / Decrease, reduce us of. / Decline, fall. | ||||||
| sà ㄙㄚˋ | Dim, gloomy appearance. | ||||||
| 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. | ||||||
| 身 | 身+0 | shēn ㄕㄣ | Pregnant. / The body (of a person or animal). / Itself. / I, myself. / Personally, directly. / Personally experience or carry out. / Life. / One's own moral character, ability, etc. / A world in buddhist doctrine. | v6,p3807#01 | p.1237#01 | p.1295r6c01 | |
| yuān ㄩㄢ | Same as 「身毒」 yuān dú ㄩㄢ ㄉㄨˊ: India. | ||||||
| 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. | ||||||
| 益 | 皿+5 | 益 𠍳 | yì ㄧˋ | profit, benefit; advantage | v4,p2560#06 | p.793#18 | |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 況 | 水+5 | 况 𡶢 | kuàng ㄎㄨㄤˋ | condition, situation; furthermore | v3,p1586#02 | p.615#01 | p.777r4c01 |
| 乎 | 丿+4 | 虖 | hū ㄏㄨ | (1.1) 語氣詞：表示疑問或反問，相當於「嗎」或「呢」。 Modal particle expressing questioning or a rhetorical question. | v1,p0036#08 | p.82#07 | p.47r3c03 |
| 優 | 人+15 | 优 | yōu ㄧㄡ | superior, excellent; actor | v1,p0233#04 | p.120#28 | p.129r6c02 |
| 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 |
| 故 | 攴+5 | gù ㄍㄨˋ | Cause. / State of affairs. / Event, incident. / Plot. / Old. / Past, original. / Death. / On purpose. / Originally. / Hence, thus. | v2,p1453#05 | p.469#25 | p.601r5c01 | |
| 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. | ||||||
| 然 | 火+8 | 燃 𤓉 | rán ㄖㄢˊ | Burn. / Demonstrative pronoun: like this, like that. / Expresses affirmation: true, indeed so. / Believe correct, affirm. / Adverb: actually, thus. / Connective: but, however, yet. / Particle used at the end of a sentence to express comparison. Like, as if. / Particle used after an adjective or adverb to express state. / Particle used at the end of a sentence to express affirmative mode. | v3,p2213#05 | p.675#12 | p.852r5c01 |
| 後 | 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 |
| 可 | 口+2 | 歌 厥 | kě kè ㄎㄜˇ ㄎㄜˋ | may, can, -able; possibly | v1,p0567#07 | p.172#12 | p.244r1c02 |
| 父 | 父+0 | fù fǔ ㄈㄨˋ ㄈㄨˇ | father; KangXi radical 88 | v3,p2039#01 | p.690#01 | p.864r1c01 | |
| 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 |
| 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. | ||||||
| 使 | 人+6 | 𡥐 𠭆 | shǐ ㄕˇ | Order, send (on a mission). / Cause, make. / Allocate, use. / Indulge in.. / Send as an envoy. / Envoy, messenger. / Connective: if, supposing. | v1,p0145#02 | p.101#05 | p.101r3c03 |
| 幼 | 幺+2 | 𠣎 | yòu yào ㄧㄡˋ ㄧㄠˋ | infant, young child; immature | v2,p1093#07 | p.342#02 | p.485r4c02 |
| 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. | ||||||
| 蒞 | 艸+10 | 涖 莅 | lì ㄌㄧˋ | reach, arrive; manage | v5,p3270#07 | p.1048#25 | p.1162r4c05 |
| 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 |
| 與 | 臼+8 | 与 𢌱 𦦲 𠔔 | yǔ ㄩˇ | Give. / Follow, go along with. / Comrade, ally. / Association, contact. / Oppose. / Engage [an enemy]. / Approve, consent to. / Help. / Wait. / Preposition indicating passive tense. / Preposition: to, with. / Preposition: with. / Preposition: as. / Preposition: in, on. / Connective: and, with. / Connective: with its ... / Connective: or. | v1,p0251#04 | p.1004#13 | p.1113r2c03 |
| yù ㄩˋ | Participate, take part in. | ||||||
| yǔ ㄩˇ | Interfere in. | ||||||
| yú ㄩˊ | Auxiliary word: used at the end of a sentence to express questioning , exclamation, or a rhetorical question. / Auxiliary word: used in the middle of a sentence to express a pause. | ||||||
| 居 | 尸+5 | 㞐 㝒 | jū ㄐㄩ | Sit down. / Wait. / Live, dwell. / Dwelling, residence. / Tomb. / Rank, position occupied. / Person occupying the rank of ruler. / Live peacefully. / Usually, normally. / Located in. / Defend (a post), guard (a region). / Remain behind to handle matters. / Have, possess. / Employ, implement. / Stop, rest, remain. / Store, stockpile. / Raise, rear (livestock). / Used before times expressing time elapsed: after. | v2,p0968#04 | p.300#30 | p.448r1c02 |
| jǔ ㄐㄩˇ | Movement, action. | ||||||
| jù ㄐㄩˋ | Arrogant. / Straight. / Saw. | ||||||
| jī ㄐㄧ | Modal particle expressing exclamation or questioning. | ||||||
| 欲 | 欠+7 | 慾 | yù ㄩˋ | desire, want, long for; intend | v3,p2140#07 | p.567#36 | p.729r4c02 |
| 令 | 人+3 | 令 | lìng ㄌㄧㄥˋ | Order, decree / Drinking game. / Give an order, issue a command. / Cause, make. / Seasons. / Official title: top administrative official in a district. / Official title: central or local official in charge of a particular function. / Good, good looking. / Respectful term for another's family. / A short form of writing. / Words said out of politeness or diplomacy. | v1,p0111#10 | p.93#12 | p.87r2c01 |
| líng ㄌㄧㄥˊ | If. / Wagtail. | ||||||
| lián ㄌㄧㄢˊ | Same as 「令居」 lián jū ㄌㄧㄢˊ ㄐㄩ: [Name of a place] | ||||||
| 長 | 長+0 | 镸 𨱗 𠤐 𠑷 𠔊 𠑻 𠑿 𡕣 长 | cháng zhǎng zhàng ㄔㄤˊ ㄓㄤˇ ㄓㄤˋ | long; length; excel in; leader | v6,p4050#01 | p.1328#07 | p.1399r3c04 |
| 義 | 羊+7 | 义 | yì ㄧˋ | right conduct, righteousness | v5,p3133#02 | p.952#32 | p.1071r3c01 |
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