| Chinese Text Project | |
| Simplified Chinese version |
| “故曰， | 'Hence we have the saying: |
| 徒善不足以为政， | "Virtue alone is not sufficient for the exercise of government; |
| 徒法不能以自行。 | laws alone cannot carry themselves into practice." |
| 《诗》云： | It is said in the Book of Poetry, |
| ‘不愆不忘， | "Without transgression, without forgetfulness, |
| 率由旧章。’ | Following the ancient statutes." |
| 遵先王之法而过者，未之有也。 | Never has any one fallen into error, who followed the laws of the ancient kings. |
| 圣人既竭目力焉， | When the sages had used the vigour of their eyes, |
| 继之以规矩准绳， | they called in to their aid the compass, the square, the level, and the line, |
| 以为方员平直， | to make things square, round, level, and straight: |
| 不可胜用也； | the use of the instruments is inexhaustible. |
| 既竭耳力焉， | When they had used their power of hearing to the utmost, |
| 继之以六律，正五音， | they called in the pitch-tubes to their aid to determine the five notes |
| 不可胜用也； | - the use of those tubes is inexhaustible. |
| 既竭心思焉， | When they had exerted to the utmost the thoughts of their hearts, |
| 继之以不忍人之政， | they called in to their aid a government that could not endure to witness the sufferings of men |
| 而仁覆天下矣。 | - and their benevolence overspread the kingdom. |
| Character | Composition | Variants | Reading | Meaning | Hanyu | Kangxi | Cihai |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | |
| 曰 | 曰+0 | yuē ㄩㄝ | Say, speak. / Call, name. / Particle. | v2,p1482#02 | p.502#01 | p.648r3c03 | |
| 徒 | 彳+7 | 𨑒 𠫠 | tú ㄊㄨˊ | disciple, follower; go on foot | v2,p0823#03 | p.367#22 | p.513r4c01 |
| 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 |
| 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. | ||||||
| 足 | 足+0 | 疋 𤴕 | zú jù ㄗㄨˊ ㄐㄩˋ | foot; attain, satisfy, enough | v6,p3686#01 | p.1221#17 | p.1287r6c03 |
| 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 |
| 为 | 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. | ||||||
| 政 | 攴+4 | zhèng zhēng ㄓㄥˋ ㄓㄥ | government, political affairs | v2,p1453#03 | p.469#06 | p.601r2c01 | |
| 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 |
| 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. | ||||||
| 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 |
| 行 | 行+0 | 行 | xíng ㄒㄧㄥˊ | Walk, move (on foot). / Advance, move forward. / Leave, exit. / Patrol, go on inspection. / Inspection of the realm by the Son of Heaven. / Be married off. / Flow, circulate. / Channel, guide. / Revolution, circular motion. / Experience. / Luggage, belongings taken on a journey. / Do, carry out. / Actions. / Accomplishments. / Use, utilize. / Take over (an official duty). / Offer, present. / Moral conduct, behaviour. / A type of classical poem. / A piece of music. / Semi-cursive script. / Adverb: will, about to. / Adverb: again, once more. / Adverb: by chance, luckily. / Ambassador (official title). / Measure word for number of pourings of drinks. | v2,p0811#06 | p.1108#31 | p.1203r5c05 |
| háng ㄏㄤˊ | Road. / Track, pattern. / Row, line. / Row of soldiers in battle. / Unit of 25 soldiers. / Shaft of a feather (and by extension, wings). / Measure word for things which form rows. / Rank, position. | ||||||
| 诗 | 言+6 | 𧥳 诗 | shī ㄕ | poetry; poem, verse, ode | v6,p3961#05 | p.1157#15 | p.1242r5c03 |
| 云 | 二+2 | 员 云 | yún ㄩㄣˊ | (2) 说。 Say, speak. | v1,p0384#02 | p.86#08 | p.63r6c02 |
| 愆 | 心+9 | 𠐨 𠍴 𢡊 | qiān ㄑㄧㄢ | a fault, mistake, error, transgression | v4,p2322#14 | p.393#35 | p.536r6c02 |
| 忘 | 心+3 | wàng wáng ㄨㄤˋ ㄨㄤˊ | forget; neglect; miss, omit | v4,p2270#09 | p.376#24 | ||
| 率 | 玄+6 | 率 卛 | shuài ㄕㄨㄞˋ | Net for catching birds. / Along, in the same direction as. / Follow, go along with. / Command, lead. / Model. / Create a model for something. / Do, engage in. / Fast, quickly. / Frank, direct. / Because of, due to. / Similar. / Similar things. / Adverb: in general, mostly. / Adverb: all. / Same as “帅(2.1)” shuài ㄕㄨㄞˋ: Commander of an army. / Same as “帅(2.2)” shuài ㄕㄨㄞˋ: Thing which plays a leading role. | v1,p0289#03 | p.725#05 | p.884r3c03 |
| lǜ ㄌㄩˋ | A fixed standard or ratio. / Same as “锊” lüè ㄌㄩㄝˋ: Unit of weight, approximately 6 liang. | ||||||
| 由 | 田+0 | yóu ㄧㄡˊ | Do, carry out. / Cause to happen. / Unite. / Complete, realize. / Go through, pass. / Carry out orders, do as asked. / Follow. / Accord with. / Cause. / Preposition: due to, because of. / Preposition: from. / Preposition: to, with. / Appoint, employ. / Rely on, make use of. / Evidence, proof. / Go along with, listen to. / New growth of a tree around dead wood. / Recovery, revival. / Like, similar to. / Still, yet. / Naturally, by itself. | v4,p2524#02 | p.757#01 | p.910r2c01 | |
| dí ㄉㄧˊ | Road. / Method, way. | ||||||
| 旧 | 臼+12 | 旧 | jiù ㄐㄧㄡˋ | old, ancient; former, past | v5,p3043#18 | p.1006#01 | p.1114r6c01 |
| 章 | 音+2 | zhāng zhàng ㄓㄤ ㄓㄤˋ | composition; chapter, section | v4,p2709#04 | p.871#08 | p.1003r5c03 | |
| 遵 | 辵+12 | 𨘊 𢍲 | zūn ㄗㄨㄣ | obey, comply with, follow; honor | v6,p3885#01 | p.1264#26 | p.1331r3c03 |
| 先 | 儿+4 | xiān ㄒㄧㄢ | first, former, previous | v1,p0267#02 | p.124#05 | p.134r3c02 | |
| 王 | 玉+0 | wáng ㄨㄤˊ | (1.1) 夏商周三代的最高统治者。 King, title of supreme ruler of the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties. | v2,p1099#10 | p.727#02 | 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 |
| 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. | ||||||
| 过 | 辵+9 | 过 𨓺 | guò ㄍㄨㄛˋ | Pass by, go by. / Exceed, go beyond. / Too much, excess. / Mistake, make a mistake. / Crime, commit a crime. / Lose. / Visit. | v6,p3849#08 | p.1261#22 | p.1325r2c01 |
| guō ㄍㄨㄛ | Name of a state in pre-Qin China. | ||||||
| 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. | ||||||
| 未 | 木+1 | wèi ㄨㄟˋ | not yet; 8th terrestrial branch | v2,p1150#01 | p.509#05 | p.665r4c01 | |
| 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. | ||||||
| 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 |
| 圣人 | 耳+7 人+0 | 垩 𦕡 𠄵 圣 𠔽 亻 | shèng rén ㄕㄥˋ ㄖㄣˊ | 出类拔萃的人。 Sage, outstanding person. | v4,p2789#06 v1,p0101#10 | p.967#22 p.91#01 | p.1082r6c06 p.80r2c01 |
| 既 | 无+5 | 旣 | jì xì ㄐㄧˋ ㄒㄧˋ | already; de facto; since; then | v2,p1148#01 | p.485#27 | p.626r3c02 |
| 竭 | 立+9 | jié ㄐㄧㄝˊ | put forth great effort; exhaust | v4,p2713#20 | p.872#29 | p.1005r3c04 | |
| 目 | 目+0 | 𡇡 𥃦 𥆤 | mù ㄇㄨˋ | eye; look, see; division, topic | v4,p2467#01 | p.798#25 | p.943r2c02 |
| 力 | 力+0 | 力 𠠲 | lì ㄌㄧˋ | power, capability, influence | v1,p0364#04 | p.146#05 | p.191r4c03 |
| 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 | |
| 继 | 糸+14 | 继 | jì ㄐㄧˋ | continue, maintain, carry on | v5,p3464#13 | p.941#34 | p.1061r5c07 |
| 规 | 见+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 |
| 准 | 水+10 | 凖 准 | zhǔn ㄓㄨㄣˇ | rule, guideline, standard | v3,p1700#05 | p.639#24 | p.819r1c04 |
| 绳 | 糸+13 | 縄 绳 䋲 绳 | shéng mǐn yìng shèng ㄕㄥˊ ㄇㄧㄣˇ ㄧㄥˋ ㄕㄥˋ | rope, string, cord; measure, restrain | v5,p3457#09 | p.940#04 | p.1060r5c05 |
| 方 | 方+0 | 𤙗 | fāng ㄈㄤ | Two boats in line. / Two boats travelling together. / Together, in a row. / Same, equivalent. / Comparison, metaphor. / Square. / Upright, honest. / Land, earth. / Vicinity, area around. / Place, area. / One side, one area. / Wooden board used for writing in ancient times. / (Medical) prescription. / Direction. / Convention. / Standard, rule. / The proper way. / Method, way. / Specialized techniques. / Occupy. / Disobey. / Preposition: just then. / Adverb: while. / Adverb: about to. / Adverb: just. / Criticism. | v3,p2172#01 | p.481#03 | p.619r4c01 |
| páng ㄆㄤˊ | Wide, universal. | ||||||
| 员 | 口+7 | 云 员 | yuán yùn ㄩㄢˊ ㄩㄣˋ | member; personnel, staff member | v1,p0628#06 | p.189#31 | p.273r2c01 |
| 平 | 干+2 | 𤔁 𠀭 | píng ㄆㄧㄥˊ | flat, level, even; peaceful | v1,p0407#01 | p.339#03 | p.480r4c02 |
| 直 | 目+3 | 𣓟 𣖴 | zhí ㄓˊ | straight, erect, vertical | v1,p0061#07 | p.800#05 | |
| 不 | 一+3 | 不 𠀚 𠙐 | bù ㄅㄨˋ | (3.1) 否定副词：用于动词、形容词等前面，表示否定。 Negational adverb, used before verbs, adjectives, etc. to indicate negation. | v1,p0011#06 | p.76#15 | p.30r1c01 |
| 可 | 口+2 | 歌 厥 | kě kè ㄎㄜˇ ㄎㄜˋ | may, can, -able; possibly | v1,p0567#07 | p.172#12 | p.244r1c02 |
| 胜 | 力+10 | 𠢧 𠅫 𢾶 胜 | shèng shēng ㄕㄥˋ ㄕㄥ | victory; excel, be better than | v3,p2090#13 | p.148#31 | p.197r6c02 |
| 用 | 用+0 | 𤰆 𠛁 | yòng ㄩㄥˋ | use, employ, apply, operate; use | v1,p0097#05 | p.755#24 | p.908r6c02 |
| 耳 | 耳+0 | ěr ㄦˇ | Ear. / Handles on either side of an object. / Ear-shaped object. / Hear, hear it said. / Connective: and. / Modal particle: just, only. / Modal particle expressing affirmation. | v4,p2783#01 | p.965#05 | p.1081r3c03 | |
| 六 | 八+2 | 六 陆 | liù lù ㄌㄧㄡˋ ㄌㄨˋ | number six | v1,p0241#09 | p.127#01 | p.154r5c01 |
| 律 | 彳+6 | 律 | lǜ ㄌㄩˋ | statute, principle, regulation | v2,p0821#01 | p.366#17 | p.510r5c04 |
| 正 | 止+1 | 㱏 𣥔 𤴓 𧾸 | zhèng ㄓㄥˋ | (4.1) 正定，确定。 Fix, determine. | v2,p1436#01 | p.574#02 | p.732r5c02 |
| 五 | 二+2 | 伍 𠄡 㐅 | wǔ ㄨˇ | five; surname | v1,p0011#03 | p.86#11 | p.64r3c01 |
| 音 | 音+0 | yīn yìn ㄧㄣ ㄧㄣˋ | sound, tone, pitch, pronunciation | v7,p4495#01 | p.1396#25 | p.1472r4c04 | |
| 心 | 心+0 | 㣺 忄 | xīn ㄒㄧㄣ | heart; mind, intelligence; soul | v4,p2267#01 | p.375#01 | p.521r1c01 |
| 思 | 心+5 | 恖 𠂺 𡴓 𢍄 | sī sì sāi ㄙ ㄙˋ ㄙㄞ | think, consider, ponder; final particle | v4,p2280#04 | p.381#04 | p.526r1c02 |
| 忍 | 心+3 | 㣼 | rěn ㄖㄣˇ | endure, bear, suffer; forbear | v4,p2271#03 | p.376#04 | p.523r1c01 |
| 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 |
| 仁 | 人+2 | 忈 忎 𡰥 | rén ㄖㄣˊ | humaneness, benevolence, kindness | v1,p0107#01 | p.91#07 | |
| 覆 | 襾+12 | 复 复 | fù ㄈㄨˋ | cover; tip over; return; reply | v4,p2808#09 | p.1129#09 | p.1226r5c03 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
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