Chinese Text Project |
問曰: | The following question may be raised: |
「人生於天地, | 'Man is born from Heaven and Earth. |
天地無為, | Since Heaven and Earth are inactive, |
人稟天性者, | man who has received the fluid of Heaven, |
亦當無為, | ought to be inactive likewise, |
而有為,何也?」 | wherefore does he act nevertheless?' |
曰: | For the following reason. |
至德純渥之人, | A man with the highest, purest, and fullest virtue |
稟天氣多, | has been endowed with a large quantity of the heavenly fluid, |
故能則天, | therefore he can follow the example of Heaven, |
自然無為。 | and be spontaneous and inactive like it. |
稟氣薄少, | He who has received but a small quota of the fluid, |
不遵道德, | does not live in accordance with righteousness and virtue, |
不似天地, | and does not resemble Heaven and Earth. |
故曰不肖。 | Hence he is called unlike, |
不肖者、不似也。 | which means that he does not resemble Heaven and Earth. |
不似天地, | Not resembling Heaven and Earth |
不類聖賢, | he cannot be accounted a wise man or a sage. |
故有為也。 | Therefore he is active. |
天地為鑪, | Heaven and Earth are the furnace, |
造化為工, | and the creating is the melting process. |
稟氣不一,安能皆賢? | How can all be wise, since the fluid of which they are formed is not the same? |
賢之純者,黃、老是也。 | Huang and Lao were truly wise. |
黃者、黃帝也,老者、老子也。 | Huang is Huang Di, and Lao is Laozi. |
黃、老之操, | Huang and Lao's conduct was such, |
身中恬澹, | that their bodies were in a state of quietude and indifference. |
其治無為, | Their government consisted in inaction. |
正身共己而陰陽自和, | They took care of their persons, and behaved with reverence, hence Yin and Yang were in harmony. |
無心於為而物自化, | They did not long for action, and things were produced of themselves; |
無意於生而物自成。 | they did not think of creating anything, and things were completed spontaneously. |
Character | Composition | Variants | Reading | Meaning | Hanyu | Kangxi | Cihai |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
問 | 口+8 | 𠳅 问 | wèn ㄨㄣˋ | Ask, inquire. / Investigate, look into. / Inquire after, give regards to. / Interrogate, question. / Visit (another states). / Research, investigate. / Give, present with. / Tell. / Sound. / Same as 「聞(7)」 wèn ㄨㄣˋ: Reputation, fame. | v7,p4284#03 | p.195#10 | p.279r3c03 |
曰 | 曰+0 | yuē ㄩㄝ | Say, speak. / Call, name. / Particle. | v2,p1482#02 | p.502#01 | p.648r3c03 | |
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 |
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 |
天 | 大+1 | 𠀡 𠀘 𦴞 兲 靝 𠕹 | tiān ㄊㄧㄢ | sky, heaven; god, celestial | v1,p0522#01 | p.248#04 | p.358r4c01 |
地 | 土+3 | 埊 𨻐 埅 𠏂 嶳 | dì de ㄉㄧˋ ㄉㄜ· | earth; soil, ground; region | v1,p0420#12 | p.224#06 | p.312r6c01 |
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 |
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. | ||||||
稟 | 禾+8 | 廪 禀 | bǐng lǐn ㄅㄧㄥˇ ㄌㄧㄣˇ | report to, petition | v4,p2615#08 | p.855#16 | p.993r4c02 |
性 | 心+5 | xìng ㄒㄧㄥˋ | nature, character, sex | v4,p2286#04 | p.381#24 | p.527r1c01 | |
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. | ||||||
亦 | 亠+4 | 𠅃 | yì ㄧˋ | Original character for 腋. / Also. / Just, merely. / Again. / Modal particle at the beginning or middle of a sentence. / Accumulate. | v1,p0281#03 | p.88#09 | p.78r2c02 |
當 | 田+8 | 𤱭 儅 当 | dāng ㄉㄤ | Suit, match. / Comply, conform to. / Administer, be in charge of. / Take charge of. / Resist, oppose. / Equal to, equivalent. / Face towards. / Should, must. / At, of (some place or time). / Cast sentence. / Will. | v4,p2546#06 | p.764#18 | p.917r3c03 |
dàng ㄉㄤˋ | Suitable, appropriate. / As, for the purpose of, in the capacity of. / Give as security. / Bottom, base. | ||||||
tǎng ㄊㄤˇ | If, supposing. | ||||||
cháng ㄔㄤˊ | Once, previously. | ||||||
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. | ||||||
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. | ||||||
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. | ||||||
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 |
至 | 至+0 | 𦤳 𦤴 𦤵 𡊏 | zhì dié ㄓˋ ㄉㄧㄝˊ | reach, arrive; extremely, very | v4,p2814#01 | p.1001#11 | p.1111r3c04 |
德 | 彳+12 | 惪 悳 | dé ㄉㄜˊ | Morals, morality. / Good deeds. / Good fortune. / Reward kindness, thank. / Heart, feelings. / Same as 「得(1.1)」 dé ㄉㄜˊ: Get, obtain. | v2,p0841#17 | p.371#08 | p.518r3c01 |
純 | 糸+4 | 𠄤 㝄 纯 | chún quán tún zhūn zhǔn zī ㄔㄨㄣˊ ㄑㄩㄢˊ ㄊㄨㄣˊ ㄓㄨㄣ ㄓㄨㄣˇ ㄗ | pure, clean, simple | v5,p3371#04 | p.917#06 | p.1033r1c03 |
渥 | 水+9 | wò òu wū ㄨㄛˋ ㄡˋ ㄨ | moisten, soak; great, deep; dye; to enrich | v3,p1689#06 | p.634#06 | p.812r3c01 | |
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 |
氣 | 气+6 | 気 炁 𣱛 气 | qì xì ㄑㄧˋ ㄒㄧˋ | air, gas, steam, vapor; spirit | v3,p2011#14 | p.599#12 | p.751r5c04 |
多 | 夕+3 | 夛 𡖇 𡖈 | duō ㄉㄨㄛ | much, many; more than, over | v2,p0862#02 | p.246#11 | p.339r4c01 |
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 | |
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. | ||||||
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 |
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 |
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 |
薄 | 艸+13 | bó báo bò bù ㄅㄛˊ ㄅㄠˊ ㄅㄛˋ ㄅㄨˋ | thin, slight, weak; poor, stingy | v5,p3307#03 | p.1060#12 | p.1168r6c05 | |
少 | 小+1 | shǎo shào ㄕㄠˇ ㄕㄠˋ | few, less, inadequate | v1,p0561#02 | p.296#20 | p.442r4c01 | |
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. | ||||||
遵 | 辵+12 | 𨘊 𢍲 | zūn ㄗㄨㄣ | obey, comply with, follow; honor | v6,p3885#01 | p.1264#26 | p.1331r3c03 |
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. | ||||||
似 | 人+5 | 𠚦 | sì shì ㄙˋ ㄕˋ | resemble, similar to; as if, seem | v1,p0127#02 | p.97#10 | p.95r1c04 |
肖 | 肉+3 | xiào xiāo ㄒㄧㄠˋ ㄒㄧㄠ | look like, resemble, be like | v3,p2045#06 | p.973#25 | p.1088r5c05 | |
類 | 頁+10 | 類 𩔗 类 | lèi lì ㄌㄟˋ ㄌㄧˋ | class, group, kind, category | v7,p4387#04 | p.1408#13 | p.1481r3c03 |
聖 | 耳+7 | 堊 𦕡 𠄵 圣 | shèng ㄕㄥˋ | holy, sacred; sage | v4,p2789#06 | p.967#22 | p.1082r6c06 |
賢 | 貝+8 | 臤 贒 贤 | xián ㄒㄧㄢˊ | virtuous, worthy, good; able | v6,p3646#06 | p.1209#28 | p.1276r5c02 |
鑪 | 金+16 | lú ㄌㄨˊ | fireplace, stove, oven, furnace | v6,p4272#08 | p.1326#20 | p.1398r3c04 | |
造 | 辵+7 | 艁 𨕡 | zào cào cāo ㄗㄠˋ ㄘㄠˋ ㄘㄠ | construct, build, make, begin; prepare | v6,p3841#06 | p.1258#12 | p.1319r4c01 |
化 | 匕+2 | 𠤎 𠯒 𠏁 | huà huā ㄏㄨㄚˋ ㄏㄨㄚ | change, convert, reform; -ize | v1,p0109#04 | p.152#20 | p.201r6c02 |
工 | 工+0 | 𢀚 㣉 𠜝 | gōng ㄍㄨㄥ | labor, work; worker, laborer | v1,p0410#06 | p.325#01 | p.463r2c02 |
一 | 一+0 | 弌 壹 | yī ㄧ | one; a, an; alone | v1,p0001#01 | p.75#01 | p.1r1c01 |
安 | 宀+3 | ān ㄢ | Stable, steady. / Peaceful, tranquil. / Safe. / Accustomed to do, habitually do. / Not worry about, be relaxed about. / Comfort, ease. / Stop, cease. / Unhurried. / Place, put. / Interrogative pronoun: how. / Interrogative pronoun: where. / Interrogative pronoun: what. / Interrogative pronoun: who. / Connective: so, thereupon. | v2,p0913#09 | p.282#08 | p.406r2c01 | |
皆 | 白+4 | jiē ㄐㄧㄝ | all, every, everybody | v4,p2647#01 | p.786#12 | p.735r5c01 | |
黃 | 黃+0 | 𡕛 黄 | huáng ㄏㄨㄤˊ | yellow; surname | v7,p4596#02 | p.1516#03 | p.1553r4c02 |
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 |
黃帝 | 黃+0 巾+6 | 𡕛 黄 𢂇 𠫦 | huáng dì ㄏㄨㄤˊ ㄉㄧˋ | 傳説中中華民族的祖先。 The Yellow Emperor, legendary ancestor of all of China. | v7,p4596#02 v1,p0738#02 | p.1516#03 p.330#14 | p.1553r4c02 p.474r5c07 |
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 |
操 | 手+13 | cāo ㄘㄠ | Hold, holding. / Control, drive. / Carry, bring with. / Serve as, do. / Integrity, moral character. / Cao, name of a piece of zither music. / Play (on the zither). | v3,p1969#03 | p.458#15 | p.594r3c01 | |
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. | ||||||
中 | 丨+3 | 𠁧 𠁩 塚 | zhōng zhòng ㄓㄨㄥ ㄓㄨㄥˋ | central; center, middle; in the midst of; hit (target); attain | v1,p0028#10 | p.79#03 | p.37r4c02 |
恬 | 心+6 | tián ㄊㄧㄢˊ | quiet, calm, tranquil, peaceful | v4,p2296#05 | p.385#14 | p.530r4c01 | |
澹 | 水+13 | 淡 | dàn dán shàn tán dān ㄉㄢˋ ㄉㄢˊ ㄕㄢˋ ㄊㄢˊ ㄉㄢ | calm, quiet, tranquil | v3,p1762#01 | p.653#36 | p.834r5c01 |
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. | ||||||
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 |
正 | 止+1 | 㱏 𣥔 𤴓 𧾸 | zhèng ㄓㄥˋ | Straight, not at an angle. / Appropriate. / Normal. / Decent, upstanding. / Fix, determine. / Govern, rule. / Set punishments. / Formal, primary. / Pure, unadulterated. / Son by one's official wife. / Luckily, fortuitously. / Expresses continuation of an action or state. / Officer. / Only. / Government, state affairs. / Prove, verify. | v2,p1436#01 | p.574#02 | p.732r5c02 |
zhēng ㄓㄥ | First month in the Chinese calander. / Centre of a target. / Attack, punitive expedition. | ||||||
共 | 八+4 | 𦱹 | gòng ㄍㄨㄥˋ | Occupy or accept together. / Together. / Total, in all. / Preposition: together with. | v1,p0243#02 | p.127#05 | p.160r5c02 |
gōng ㄍㄨㄥ | Provide. / Respectful. | ||||||
gǒng ㄍㄨㄥˇ | Cup one's hands in obeisance or greeting。 / Rotate, turn around. | ||||||
己 | 己+0 | 𢀒 | jǐ ㄐㄧˇ | self, oneself; personal, private; 6th heavenly stem | v2,p0983#05 | p.326#09 | p.467r2c01 |
陰 | 阜+8 | 阴 隂 𨹉 霒 侌 𤽎 𨽙 𠊺 𣱙 瘖 | yīn yìn ān ㄧㄣ ㄧㄣˋ ㄢ | 'female' principle; dark; secret | v6,p4138#05 | p.1353#06 | p.1423r2c03 |
陽 | 阜+9 | 昜 阦 氜 阳 𨹈 𨼘 𨽐 𣆄 | yáng ㄧㄤˊ | 'male' principle; light; sun | v6,p4144#03 | p.1355#15 | p.1429r3c02 |
和 | 口+5 | 龢 咊 惒 | hé huò huó hè ㄏㄜˊ ㄏㄨㄛˋ ㄏㄨㄛˊ ㄏㄜˋ | harmony, peace; peaceful, calm | v1,p0602#01 | p.185#01 | p.267r3c01 |
心 | 心+0 | 㣺 忄 | xīn ㄒㄧㄣ | heart; mind, intelligence; soul | v4,p2267#01 | p.375#01 | p.521r1c01 |
物 | 牛+4 | wù ㄨˋ | thing, substance, creature | v3,p1805#03 | p.699#09 | p.869r5c01 | |
意 | 心+9 | yì ㄧˋ | thought, idea, opinion; think | v4,p2323#03 | p.394#22 | p.537r1c05 | |
成 | 戈+2 | 𢦩 | chéng ㄔㄥˊ | completed, finished, fixed | v2,p1399#01 | p.411#11 |
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