| Chinese Text Project |
| 正長既已具， | When the rulers were all installed, |
| 天子發政於天下之百姓， | the emperor issued a mandate to all the people, |
| 言曰： | saying: |
| 『聞善而不善， | "Upon hearing good or evil |
| 皆以告其上。 | one shall report it to a superior. |
| 上之所是， | What the superior thinks to be right |
| 必皆是之， | all shall think to be right; |
| 所非必皆非之， | what the superior thinks to be wrong all shall think to be wrong. |
| 上有過則規諫之， | When the superior is at fault there shall be good counsel, |
| 下有善則傍薦之。 | when the subordinates show virtue there shall be popular recommendation. |
| 上同而不下比者， | To identify one's self with the superior and not to unite one's self with the subordinates |
| 此上之所賞， | - this is what deserves encouragement from above |
| 而下之所譽也。 | and praise from below." |
| 意若聞善而不善， | On the other hand, if upon hearing good or evil |
| 不以告其上， | one should not report to a superior; |
| 上之所是， | if what the superior thought to be right |
| 弗能是， | one should not think to be right; |
| 上之所非， | if what the superior thought to be wrong |
| 弗能非， | one should not think to be wrong; |
| 上有過弗規諫， | if when the superior was at fault there should be no good counsel |
| 下有善弗傍薦， | if when the subordinates showed virtue there should be no popular recommendation; |
| 下比不能上同者， | if there should be common cause with subordinates and no identification with the superior |
| 此上之所罰， | - this is what deserves punishment from above |
| 而百姓所毀也。』 | and condemnation from below." |
| 上以此為賞罰， | The superior made this the basis of reward and punishment. |
| 甚明察以審信。 | He was clear-sighted and won his people's confidence. |
| Character | Composition | Variants | Reading | Meaning | Hanyu | Kangxi | Cihai |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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. | ||||||
| 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 |
| 既 | 无+5 | 旣 | jì xì ㄐㄧˋ ㄒㄧˋ | already; de facto; since; then | v2,p1148#01 | p.485#27 | p.626r3c02 |
| 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 | |
| 具 | 八+6 | jù ㄐㄩˋ | tool, implement; draw up, write | v1,p0246#04 | p.128#01 | p.162r5c02 | |
| 天子 | 大+1 子+0 | 𠀡 𠀘 𦴞 兲 靝 𠕹 㜽 𢀈 𢀉 𡐫 𣕓 只 | tiān zǐ ㄊㄧㄢ ㄗˇ | 對最高統治者的尊稱。 Son of Heaven, title of the supreme ruler. | v1,p0522#01 v2,p1006#06 | p.248#04 p.277#01 | p.358r4c01 p.395r1c01 |
| 發 | 癶+7 | 発 发 | fā fà bō ㄈㄚ ㄈㄚˋ ㄅㄛ | issue, dispatch, send out, emit | v4,p2761#04 | p.784#10 | p.925r2c01 |
| 政 | 攴+4 | zhèng zhēng ㄓㄥˋ ㄓㄥ | government, political affairs | v2,p1453#03 | p.469#06 | p.601r2c01 | |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 百 | 白+1 | 佰 𦣻 | bǎi bó mò ㄅㄞˇ ㄅㄛˊ ㄇㄛˋ | one hundred; numerous, many | v4,p2643#01 | p.785#04 | p.932r4c01 |
| 姓 | 女+5 | 𤯧 𤯣 | xìng ㄒㄧㄥˋ | one's family name; clan, people | v2,p1037#12 | p.259#05 | p.381r6c02 |
| 言 | 言+0 | 訁 𢍗 𢍬 | yán ㄧㄢˊ | Speak, say. / Discuss, debate. / Tell. / Doctrine, theory, words. / One word. / Sentence. / Particle, no meaning. | v6,p3936#01 | p.1146#01 | p.1236r5c03 |
| 曰 | 曰+0 | yuē ㄩㄝ | (1) 說。 Say, speak. | v2,p1482#02 | p.502#01 | p.648r3c03 | |
| 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. | ||||||
| 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 |
| 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. | ||||||
| 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. | ||||||
| 皆 | 白+4 | jiē ㄐㄧㄝ | all, every, everybody | v4,p2647#01 | p.786#12 | p.735r5c01 | |
| 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 |
| 告 | 口+4 | 吿 | gào ㄍㄠˋ | tell, announce, inform; accuse | v1,p0589#12 | p.181#19 | |
| 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. | ||||||
| 上 | 一+2 | 丄 𠄞 | shàng ㄕㄤˋ | top; superior, highest; go up, send up | v1,p0005#04 | p.76#07 | p.24r2c01 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 必 | 心+1 | bì ㄅㄧˋ | surely, most certainly; must | v4,p2267#02 | p.375#02 | p.522r5c01 | |
| 非 | 非+0 | fēi ㄈㄟ | Violate, go against (a rule). / Wrong, bad. / Not real, untrue. / Oppose, object to. / Slander, condemn. / Sarcasm, irony. / Absence of, not have. / Adverb: not, is not. | v6,p4086#01 | p.1382#11 | p.1463r6c02 | |
| fěi ㄈㄟˇ | Same as 「誹(2)」 fěi ㄈㄟˇ: Slander. | ||||||
| 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. | ||||||
| 過 | 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. | ||||||
| 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 |
| 規 | 見+4 | 槻 规 | guī kuī xù guì ㄍㄨㄟ ㄎㄨㄟ ㄒㄩˋ ㄍㄨㄟˋ | rules, regulations, customs, law | v6,p3664#17 | p.1133#11 | p.1229r3c02 |
| 諫 | 言+9 | 𧧅 谏 | jiàn ㄐㄧㄢˋ | remonstrate, admonish | v6,p3995#09 | p.1170#17 | p.1250r2c02 |
| 下 | 一+2 | 丅 厥 𠄟 | xià ㄒㄧㄚˋ | under, underneath, below; down; inferior; bring down | v1,p0007#01 | p.76#10 | p.28r1c01 |
| 傍 | 人+10 | 旁 | bàng páng ㄅㄤˋ ㄆㄤˊ | by side of, beside, near, close | v1,p0205#06 | p.113#02 | |
| 薦 | 艸+13 | 𧲛 荐 | jiàn ㄐㄧㄢˋ | offer, present; recommend | v5,p3305#11 | p.1062#02 | p.1169r3c01 |
| 同 | 口+3 | 仝 衕 | tóng tòng ㄊㄨㄥˊ ㄊㄨㄥˋ | same, similar; together with | v1,p0578#01 | p.175#06 | p.252r1c01 |
| 比 | 比+0 | 夶 𣬅 | bǐ ㄅㄧˇ | Compare. / Approve, confirm. / Compare to, see as being the same as. / Similar. / Analogy. / Type, kind, class. / In comparison to. / Example. / One of the six types of classical poetry. / Be close to, be in the company of. / Get near to, approach. / In line, side by side. / The same. / Balance, harmonize. / Collude, conspire. / Favour, partiality. / Fit, suit. / Harmonious. / Assist, subsidize. / Crowded, concentrated. / Connected, in succession. / All, every, everywhere. / Recently. / Until. / For, on behalf of. | v2,p1415#08 | p.590#09 | p.746r1c02 |
| pǐ ㄆㄧˇ | Govern. | ||||||
| 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. | ||||||
| 此 | 止+2 | cǐ ㄘˇ | This. / Like this. / Here. / Adverb: then. | v2,p1438#03 | p.574#10 | p.735r4c01 | |
| 賞 | 貝+8 | 赏 | shǎng ㄕㄤˇ | reward, grant, bestow; appreciate | v6,p3647#07 | p.1209#19 | p.1276r4c01 |
| 譽 | 言+14 | 𣁎 域 誉 | yù ㄩˋ | fame, reputation; praise | v6,p4024#12 | p.1185#07 | p.1257r2c03 |
| 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 |
| 意 | 心+9 | yì ㄧˋ | thought, idea, opinion; think | v4,p2323#03 | p.394#22 | p.537r1c05 | |
| 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 |
| 弗 | 弓+2 | fú ㄈㄨˊ | not, negative | v2,p0990#09 | p.356#16 | p.500r5c01 | |
| 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. | ||||||
| 罰 | 网+9 | 罸 罚 | fá ㄈㄚˊ | penalty, fine; punish, penalize | v4,p2923#03 | p.948#33 | p.1065r5c04 |
| 毀 | 殳+9 | 𢾌 𣪷 毁 | huǐ huì ㄏㄨㄟˇ ㄏㄨㄟˋ | destroy, ruin, injure; slander | v3,p2162#04 | p.586#12 | p.744r4c01 |
| 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. | ||||||
| 甚 | 甘+4 | 什 𠯕 𥱅 | shén shí shèn ㄕㄣˊ ㄕˊ ㄕㄣˋ | great extent; considerably | v1,p0025#05 | p.754#06 | p.906r4c01 |
| 明 | 日+4 | 朙 | míng ㄇㄧㄥˊ | Bright, brilliant. / Daytime. / Clear, obvious. / Clarify, make clear. / Understand. / Straightforwardly, clearly. / Clear, clean. / Wise. / Make wise. / Spirit, god. / Respect. / Eyesight. / Good eyesight. / See clearly. / The following (day, month, year, etc.). | v2,p1491#08 | p.491#12 | p.631r3c01 |
| 察 | 宀+11 | 詧 | chá ㄔㄚˊ | examine, investigate; notice | v2,p0948#08 | p.290#16 | p.426r6c05 |
| 審 | 宀+12 | 宷 审 | shěn ㄕㄣˇ | Detailed, thorough. / Investigate thoroughly, research. / Interrogation, trial. / Clear, unambiguous. / Cautious, prudent, take seriously. / True, reliable. | v2,p0954#05 | p.291#22 | p.429r6c03 |
| pán ㄆㄢˊ | Place where water swirls about. | ||||||
| 信 | 人+7 | 伩 㐰 䚱 | xìn ㄒㄧㄣˋ | True, words fitting the truth. / As expected. / Really, actually. / Trust, trustworthy. / Reliable, orderly. / Believe, have confidence in. / Clarify, determine. / Clear, clear-cut. / Certificate, (object of) proof. / Sealed letter, written proof. / Envoy, messenger. / Freely, as one wishes. / Stay for two nights in succession. | v1,p0165#01 | p.105#25 | p.109r2c01 |
| shēn ㄕㄣ | Straight, linear. / Uphold, promote. |
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