Chinese Text Project |
(Three precious things) | |
天下皆謂我道大, | All the world says that, while my Dao is great, |
似不肖。 | it yet appears to be inferior (to other systems of teaching). |
夫唯大, | Now it is just its greatness |
故似不肖。 | that makes it seem to be inferior. |
若肖久矣。 | If it were like any other (system), for long |
其細也夫! | would its smallness have been known! |
我有三寶, | But I have three precious things |
持而保之。 | which I prize and hold fast. |
一曰慈, | The first is gentleness; |
二曰儉, | the second is economy; |
三曰不敢為天下先。 | and the third is shrinking from taking precedence of others. |
慈故能勇; | With that gentleness I can be bold; |
儉故能廣; | with that economy I can be liberal; |
不敢為天下先, | shrinking from taking precedence of others, |
故能成器長。 | I can become a vessel of the highest honour. |
今舍慈且勇; | Now-a-days they give up gentleness and are all for being bold; |
舍儉且廣; | economy, and are all for being liberal; |
舍後且先; | the hindmost place, and seek only to be foremost; |
死矣! | - (of all which the end is) death. |
夫慈以戰則勝, | Gentleness is sure to be victorious even in battle, |
以守則固。 | and firmly to maintain its ground. |
天將救之, | Heaven will save its possessor, |
以慈衛之。 | by his (very) gentleness protecting him. |
Character | Composition | Variants | Reading | Meaning | Hanyu | Kangxi | Cihai |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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 |
皆 | 白+4 | jiē ㄐㄧㄝ | all, every, everybody | v4,p2647#01 | p.786#12 | p.735r5c01 | |
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. | ||||||
我 | 戈+3 | 𠨂 𢦓 𢦠 | wǒ ㄨㄛˇ | First-person pronoun: I. / One's own side in general. / Expresses closeness. / Egoism, self-involvement. | v2,p1401#02 | p.412#01 | p.552r1c01 |
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. | ||||||
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. | ||||||
似 | 人+5 | 𠚦 | sì shì ㄙˋ ㄕˋ | resemble, similar to; as if, seem | v1,p0127#02 | p.97#10 | p.95r1c04 |
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. | ||||||
肖 | 肉+3 | xiào xiāo ㄒㄧㄠˋ ㄒㄧㄠ | look like, resemble, be like | v3,p2045#06 | p.973#25 | p.1088r5c05 | |
夫 | 大+1 | fū ㄈㄨ | General term for adult men. / Adult labourers in particular. / Soldier. / Respectful term for a man. / Husband. / Unit of area equal to one hundred mu. | v1,p0521#01 | p.248#11 | p.367r2c01 | |
fú ㄈㄨˊ | Demonstrative pronoun: this, these. / Modal particle used at the start of a sentence for emphasis or to indicate an assertion. / Modal particle used in the middle of a sentence to soften the tone. / Modal particle used at the end of a sentence to express exclamation. | ||||||
唯 | 口+8 | wéi ㄨㄟˊ | Only, exclusively. / Connective: although, even though. / Connective: because. / Particle used at the beginning of a sentence to express hope or desire. / Particle used at the beginning of a sentence to express confirmation. / Particle, no meaning. | v1,p0642#05 | p.193#17 | p.277r1c02 | |
wěi ㄨㄟˇ | Sound of affirmation. / Affirm. | ||||||
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 | |
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 |
久 | 丿+2 | 乆 | jiǔ ㄐㄧㄡˇ | long time (ago); time passage, grow late | v1,p0033#03 | p.81#19 | p.47r1c02 |
矣 | 矢+2 | 𠤘 | yǐ ㄧˇ | Modal particle used to express declaration. / Modal particle used to express exclamation. / Modal particle used to express an order or request. | v4,p2580#04 | p.823#37 | p.955r5c01 |
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. | ||||||
細 | 糸+5 | 细 | xì ㄒㄧˋ | fine, tiny; slender, thin | v5,p3380#05 | p.919#36 | p.1038r4c01 |
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 |
夫 | 大+1 | fú ㄈㄨˊ | (6.3) 語氣詞:用於句尾,表示感嘆。 Modal particle used at the end of a sentence to express exclamation. | v1,p0521#01 | p.248#11 | p.367r2c01 | |
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. | ||||||
三 | 一+2 | 叁 弎 | sān sàn ㄙㄢ ㄙㄢˋ | three | v1,p0004#03 | p.76#05 | p.11r2c01 |
寶 | 宀+17 | 宝 寳 寚 𠋾 珤 | bǎo ㄅㄠˇ | treasure, jewel; precious, rare | v2,p0958#03 | p.293#12 | p.431r1c02 |
持 | 手+6 | chí ㄔˊ | sustain, support; hold, grasp | v3,p1866#02 | p.429#05 | p.573r1c01 | |
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. | ||||||
保 | 人+7 | bǎo ㄅㄠˇ | protect, safeguard, defend, care | v1,p0160#04 | p.105#17 | p.107r3c03 | |
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 |
一 | 一+0 | 弌 壹 | yī ㄧ | one; a, an; alone | v1,p0001#01 | p.75#01 | p.1r1c01 |
曰 | 曰+0 | yuē ㄩㄝ | Say, speak. / Call, name. / Particle. | v2,p1482#02 | p.502#01 | p.648r3c03 | |
慈 | 心+10 | 㤵 | cí ㄘˊ | kind, charitable, benevolent | v4,p2324#03 | p.397#25 | |
二 | 二+0 | 贰 弍 貳 | èr ㄦˋ | two; twice | v1,p0002#01 | p.86#01 | p.58r6c01 |
儉 | 人+13 | 𠈏 俭 | jiǎn ㄐㄧㄢˇ | temperate, frugal, economical | v1,p0226#06 | p.119#12 | p.128r5c05 |
敢 | 攴+8 | 𠭖 𢽤 𣪏 | gǎn ㄍㄢˇ | to dare, venture; bold, brave | v2,p1463#09 | p.472#26 | p.605r4c02 |
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. | ||||||
先 | 儿+4 | xiān ㄒㄧㄢ | first, former, previous | v1,p0267#02 | p.124#05 | p.134r3c02 | |
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. | ||||||
勇 | 力+7 | yǒng ㄩㄥˇ | brave, courageous, fierce | v1,p0372#07 | p.147#35 | p.195r4c01 | |
廣 | 广+12 | 广 | guǎng ㄍㄨㄤˇ | broad, wide, extensive | v2,p0897#04 | p.351#03 | p.493r4c01 |
成 | 戈+2 | 𢦩 | chéng ㄔㄥˊ | completed, finished, fixed | v2,p1399#01 | p.411#11 | |
器 | 口+13 | 噐 𡄛 | qì ㄑㄧˋ | receptacle, vessel; instrument | v1,p0690#07 | p.210#02 | p.291r3c03 |
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 |
今 | 人+2 | jīn ㄐㄧㄣ | now, today, modern era | v1,p0105#05 | p.91#18 | p.83r5c02 | |
舍 | 舌+2 | 舎 捨 | shè shě shì ㄕㄜˋ ㄕㄜˇ ㄕˋ | house, dwelling; dwell, reside | v5,p2941#02 | p.1006#23 | p.1115r6c01 |
且 | 一+4 | 𠀇 𠀃 | qiě ㄑㄧㄝˇ | This. / Connective: both, also. / Connective: and. / Connective: not only that, furthermore. / Connective: or. / Connective: not only, even. / Connective: if. / Adverb: will. / Adverb: briefly. / Adverb: almost. / Particle used at the start of a sentence. | v1,p0015#05 | p.77#07 | p.34r6c02 |
jū ㄐㄩ | Appearance of a great many. / Exclamation. / Alternative name for the sixth month. | ||||||
cú ㄘㄨˊ | Go. | ||||||
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 |
死 | 歹+2 | 𠑾 𣥴 | sǐ ㄙˇ | die; dead; death | v2,p1380#06 | p.578#22 | p.740r6c06 |
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 |
戰 | 戈+12 | 戦 战 | zhàn ㄓㄢˋ | war, fighting, battle | v2,p1412#12 | p.414#11 | p.553r5c01 |
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 |
勝 | 力+10 | 𠢧 𠅫 𢾶 胜 | shèng shēng ㄕㄥˋ ㄕㄥ | victory; excel, be better than | v3,p2090#13 | p.148#31 | p.197r6c02 |
守 | 宀+3 | 𡬮 𡬴 | shǒu shòu ㄕㄡˇ ㄕㄡˋ | defend, protect, guard, conserve | v2,p0912#03 | p.282#05 | p.405r4c01 |
固 | 囗+5 | 怘 | gù ㄍㄨˋ | to become solid, solidify; strength | v1,p0716#09 | p.218#03 | p.302r5c04 |
天 | 大+1 | 𠀡 𠀘 𦴞 兲 靝 𠕹 | tiān ㄊㄧㄢ | sky, heaven; god, celestial | v1,p0522#01 | p.248#04 | p.358r4c01 |
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. | ||||||
救 | 攴+7 | 𣪋 | jiù ㄐㄧㄡˋ | save, rescue, relieve; help, aid | v2,p1460#01 | p.471#09 | p.604r2c02 |
衛 | 行+9 | 衞 卫 | wèi ㄨㄟˋ | guard, protect, defend | v2,p0845#04 | p.1109#29 | p.1207r2c02 |
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