| Chinese Text Project | |
| Simplified Chinese version |
| 故曰： | Therefore it is (also) said, |
| 圣人之生也天行， | 'The life of the sage is (like) the action of Heaven; |
| 其死也物化； | and his death is the transformation common to (all) things. |
| 静而与阴同德， | In his stillness his virtue is the same as that of the Yin, |
| 动而与阳同波； | and in movement his diffusiveness is like that of the Yang. |
| 不为福先，不为祸始； | He does not take the initiative in producing either happiness or calamity. |
| 感而后应， | He responds to the influence acting on him, |
| 迫而后动， | and moves as he feels the pressure. |
| 不得已而后起。 | He rises to act only when he is obliged to do so. |
| 去知与故， | He discards wisdom and the memories of the past; |
| 循天之理， | he follows the lines of his Heaven (-given nature); |
| 故无天灾， | and therefore he suffers no calamity from Heaven, |
| 无物累， | no involvement from things, |
| 无人非， | no blame from men, |
| 无鬼责。 | and no reproof from the spirits of the dead. |
| 其生若浮， | His life seems to float along; |
| 其死若休； | his death seems to be a resting. |
| 不思虑， | He does not indulge any anxious doubts; |
| 不豫谋； | he does not lay plans beforehand. |
| 光矣而不耀， | His light is without display; |
| 信矣而不期； | his good faith is without previous arrangement. |
| 其寝不梦， | His sleep is untroubled by dreams; |
| 其觉无忧； | his waking is followed by no sorrows. |
| 其神纯粹， | His spirit is guileless and pure; |
| 其魂不罢。 | his soul is not subject to weariness. |
| 虚无恬惔，乃合天德。 | Vacant and without self-assertion, placid and indifferent, he agrees with the virtue of Heaven. |
| 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 | |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 生 | 生+0 | 𤯓 | shēng ㄕㄥ | life, living, lifetime; birth | v4,p2575#01 | p.754#26 | p.906r5c03 |
| 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 |
| 天 | 大+1 | 𠀡 𠀘 𦴞 兲 靝 𠕹 | tiān ㄊㄧㄢ | sky, heaven; god, celestial | v1,p0522#01 | p.248#04 | p.358r4c01 |
| 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. | ||||||
| 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. | ||||||
| 死 | 歹+2 | 𠑾 𣥴 | sǐ ㄙˇ | die; dead; death | v2,p1380#06 | p.578#22 | p.740r6c06 |
| 物 | 牛+4 | wù ㄨˋ | thing, substance, creature | v3,p1805#03 | p.699#09 | p.869r5c01 | |
| 化 | 匕+2 | 𠤎 𠯒 𠏁 | huà huā ㄏㄨㄚˋ ㄏㄨㄚ | change, convert, reform; -ize | v1,p0109#04 | p.152#20 | p.201r6c02 |
| 静 | 靑+8 | 㣏 静 | jìng ㄐㄧㄥˋ | quiet, still, motionless; gentle | v6,p4049#01 | p.1382#03 | p.1463r3c02 |
| 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. | ||||||
| 与 | 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. | ||||||
| 阴 | 阜+8 | 阴 隂 𨹉 霒 侌 𤽎 𨽙 𠊺 𣱙 喑 | yīn yìn ān ㄧㄣ ㄧㄣˋ ㄢ | 'female' principle; dark; secret | v6,p4138#05 | p.1353#06 | p.1423r2c03 |
| 同 | 口+3 | 仝 同 | tóng tòng ㄊㄨㄥˊ ㄊㄨㄥˋ | same, similar; together with | v1,p0578#01 | p.175#06 | p.252r1c01 |
| 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 |
| 动 | 力+9 | 㣫 𨔝 动 | dòng ㄉㄨㄥˋ | move, happen; movement, action | v1,p0375#06 | p.148#14 | p.196r4c02 |
| 阳 | 阜+9 | 昜 阦 氜 阳 𨹈 𨼘 𨽐 𣆄 | yáng ㄧㄤˊ | 'male' principle; light; sun | v6,p4144#03 | p.1355#15 | p.1429r3c02 |
| 波 | 水+5 | bō bēi bì ㄅㄛ ㄅㄟ ㄅㄧˋ | waves, breakers; undulations | v3,p1597#07 | p.617#08 | p.782r1c01 | |
| 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. | ||||||
| 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. | ||||||
| 福 | 示+9 | 福 畗 | fú fù ㄈㄨˊ ㄈㄨˋ | happiness, good fortune, blessing | v4,p2404#03 | p.845#02 | |
| 先 | 儿+4 | xiān ㄒㄧㄢ | first, former, previous | v1,p0267#02 | p.124#05 | p.134r3c02 | |
| 祸 | 示+9 | 旤 𥚍 𣨷 𥙯 祸 | huò ㄏㄨㄛˋ | misfortune, calamity, disaster | v4,p2402#04 | p.844#31 | |
| 始 | 女+5 | 𠃭 乨 兘 𠙉 | shǐ ㄕˇ | begin, start; then, only then | v2,p1041#12 | p.258#16 | p.381r1c02 |
| 感 | 心+9 | 𢦡 | gǎn ㄍㄢˇ | feel, perceive, emotion | v4,p2321#02 | p.395#21 | p.539r2c04 |
| 后 | 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 |
| 应 | 心+13 | 応 硬 应 | yīng yìng ㄧㄥ ㄧㄥˋ | should, ought to, must | v4,p2359#03 | p.405#21 | p.546r1c02 |
| 迫 | 辵+5 | 廹 | pò pǎi ㄆㄛˋ ㄆㄞˇ | coerce, force, compel; urgent | v6,p3825#04 | p.1255#05 | p.1313r3c01 |
| 得 | 彳+8 | 𢔶 䙷 𢔨 | dé ㄉㄜˊ | Get, obtain. / Plunder. / Covet. / Success. / Fitting, appropriate. / Compatible. / Satisfied, pleased. / Possible, can. / Same as “德(1)” dé ㄉㄜˊ: Morals, morality. / Same as “德(3)” dé ㄉㄜˊ: Reward kindness, thank. | v2,p0828#03 | p.367#31 | p.513r6c02 |
| 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 | |
| 起 | 走+3 | 𨑓 𡆡 𨑔 | qǐ ㄑㄧˇ | rise, stand up; go up; begin | v5,p3476#02 | p.1215#15 | p.1284r2c03 |
| 去 | 厶+3 | qù ㄑㄩˋ | Leave, go away from. / Send away. / Remove, get rid of. / Banish, discard. / Lose, cease to possess. / Distance, separation. / Previous, past. / Later, after. | v1,p0384#08 | p.164#10 | p.232r1c04 | |
| jǔ ㄐㄩˇ | Collect, keep. | ||||||
| qū ㄑㄩ | Expel. | ||||||
| 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. | ||||||
| 循 | 彳+9 | xún ㄒㄩㄣˊ | obey, comply with, follow | v2,p0835#04 | p.369#28 | p.516r6c01 | |
| 理 | 玉+7 | 理 | lǐ ㄌㄧˇ | reason, logic; manage | v2,p1115#13 | p.733#04 | p.895r5c01 |
| 无 | 火+8 | 𣟒 𣚨 𠘩 无 无 | 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 |
| 灾 | 火+3 | 烖 𤆎 𦸜 灾 灾 | zāi ㄗㄞ | calamity, disaster, catastrophe | v3,p2190#06 | p.666#18 | p.843r3c01 |
| 累 | 糸+5 | 累 | lèi lěi léi lǜ liè ㄌㄟˋ ㄌㄟˇ ㄌㄟˊ ㄌㄩˋ ㄌㄧㄝˋ | tired; implicate, involve; bother | v5,p3381#04 | p.919#35 | p.1038r2c01 |
| 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 |
| 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 “诽(2)” fěi ㄈㄟˇ: Slander. | ||||||
| 鬼 | 鬼+0 | 𩲡 𢇼 𣆠 | guǐ ㄍㄨㄟˇ | ghost; spirit of dead; devil | v7,p4427#01 | p.1460#30 | p.1521r5c03 |
| 责 | 贝+4 | 𧵩 拆 责 | zé zhài ㄗㄜˊ ㄓㄞˋ | one's responsibility, duty | v6,p3626#02 | p.1205#19 | p.1271r3c01 |
| 若 | 草+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 |
| 浮 | 水+7 | fú ㄈㄨˊ | to float, drift, waft; to exceed; superfluous | v3,p1629#04 | p.624#23 | p.794r2c02 | |
| 休 | 人+4 | xiū ㄒㄧㄡ | rest, stop; retire; do not! | v1,p0117#18 | p.96#02 | p.93r1c01 | |
| 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 |
| 虑 | 心+11 | 虑 | lǜ ㄌㄩˋ | be concerned, worry about | v4,p2342#02 | p.399#34 | p.542r6c01 |
| 豫 | 豕+9 | 予 𠄛 预 | yù xù ㄩˋ ㄒㄩˋ | relaxed, comfortable, at ease | v6,p3617#07 | p.1197#20 | p.1264r4c01 |
| 谋 | 言+9 | 𠰔 𧦥 谋 | móu ㄇㄡˊ | plan, scheme; strategem | v6,p3993#19 | p.1173#07 | p.1251r5c01 |
| 光 | 儿+4 | 灮 炗 𤎫 𠈑 𤉭 | guāng ㄍㄨㄤ | light, brilliant, shine; only | v1,p0266#07 | p.124#06 | p.135r4c01 |
| 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 |
| 耀 | 羽+14 | 曜 耀 | yào ㄧㄠˋ | shine, sparkle, dazzle; glory | v5,p3359#05 | p.960#14 | p.1077r2c03 |
| 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. | ||||||
| 期 | 月+8 | 朞 𣅆 𠔸 逞 | qī qí jī ㄑㄧ ㄑㄧˊ ㄐㄧ | period of time; date; time limit | v3,p2083#07 | p.506#11 | p.662r3c01 |
| 寝 | 宀+11 | 𡨦 𡫒 实 寝 | qǐn ㄑㄧㄣˇ | sleep, rest; bed chamber | v2,p0951#01 | p.290#22 | p.427r3c01 |
| 梦 | 夕+11 | 梦 夣 | mèng méng ㄇㄥˋ ㄇㄥˊ | dream; visionary; wishful | v2,p0864#19 | p.247#16 | p.342r1c04 |
| 觉 | 见+13 | 覚 覐 𧠭 斍 觉 | jué jiào ㄐㄩㄝˊ ㄐㄧㄠˋ | to wake up from sleep; conscious | v6,p3675#08 | p.1137#23 | p.1231r4c06 |
| 忧 | 心+11 | 𠪍 𨗫 懮 忧 | yōu ㄧㄡ | sad, grieved; grief, melancholy | v4,p2341#14 | p.401#26 | p.543r1c06 |
| 神 | 示+5 | 神 𥛠 | shén shēn ㄕㄣˊ ㄕㄣ | spirit, god, supernatural being | v4,p2392#01 | p.842#03 | |
| 纯 | 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 |
| 粹 | 米+8 | 粋 | cuì suì ㄘㄨㄟˋ ㄙㄨㄟˋ | pure; unadulterated; select | v5,p3152#22 | p.909#39 | p.1027r3c01 |
| 魂 | 鬼+4 | hún ㄏㄨㄣˊ | soul, spirit | v7,p4428#09 | p.1461#12 | p.1522r6c02 | |
| 罢 | 网+10 | 罢 | bà ba bǎi pí pì bǐ ㄅㄚˋ ㄅㄚ· ㄅㄞˇ ㄆㄧˊ ㄆㄧˋ ㄅㄧˇ | cease, finish, stop; give up | v4,p2924#12 | p.949#08 | p.1065r6c05 |
| 虚 | 虍+6 | 𣦄 虚 | xū ㄒㄩ | false, worthless; empty, hollow | v4,p2825#06 | p.1074#11 | p.1184r1c06 |
| 恬 | 心+6 | tián ㄊㄧㄢˊ | quiet, calm, tranquil, peaceful | v4,p2296#05 | p.385#14 | p.530r4c01 | |
| 惔 | 心+8 | tán dàn ㄊㄢˊ ㄉㄢˋ | cheerful | v4,p2318#15 | p.390#45 | p.534r3c04 | |
| 乃 | 丿+1 | 廼 𢏩 𢎧 乃 𠄎 𠧤 | nǎi ㄋㄞˇ | Second person pronoun: you. / Demonstrative pronoun: like this, thus. / Adverb: expresses affirmation. / Adverb: expresses limiting of scope: only, just. / Adverb: and then. / Adverb: just. / Adverb: expresses two contradictory or contrasting states of affairs. / Adverb: expresses beginning, origin. / Connective: hence / Adverb: regarding, as for. / Connective: if. / Particle, no meaning. | v1,p0031#05 | p.81#12 | p.46r6c01 |
| 合 | 口+3 | 閤 | hé gě ㄏㄜˊ ㄍㄜˇ | combine, unite, join; gather | v1,p0581#01 | p.174#24 | p.249r1c02 |
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