| Chinese Text Project |
| 王曰：「庶人之劍何如？」 | 'And what about the sword of the common man?' asked the king (once more). |
| 曰： | (Zhuangzi) replied, |
| 「庶人之劍， | 'The sword of the common man |
| 蓬頭、突鬢、垂冠， | (is wielded by) those who have their hair in a tangle, with whiskers projecting out; who wear slouching caps |
| 曼胡之纓， | with coarse and unornamented tassels, |
| 短後之衣， | and have their coats cut short behind; |
| 瞋目而語難， | who have staring eyes, and talk (only) about the hazards (of their game). |
| 相擊於前， | They hit at one another before you. |
| 上斬頸領， | Above, the sword slashes through the neck; |
| 下決肝肺。 | and below, it scoops out the liver and lungs. |
| 此庶人之劍， | This is the sword of the common man. |
| 無異於鬥雞， | (The users of it) are not different from fighting cocks; |
| 一旦命已絕矣， | any morning their lives are brought to an end; |
| 無所用於國事。 | they are of no use in the affairs of the state. |
| 今大王有天子之位， | Your Majesty occupies the seat of the Son of Heaven, |
| 而好庶人之劍， | and that you should be so fond of the swordsmanship of such common men, |
| 臣竊為大王薄之。」 | is unworthy, as I venture to think, of your Majesty.' |
| Character | Composition | Variants | Reading | Meaning | Hanyu | Kangxi | Cihai |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 王 | 玉+0 | wáng ㄨㄤˊ | King, title of supreme ruler of the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties. / Ruler of a vassal state in the warring states period. / Highest title in feudal China. / Meet with the emperor. / Respectful term for one's paternal grandparents. | v2,p1099#10 | p.727#02 | p.888r1c02 | |
| wàng ㄨㄤˋ | Rule as king, control all under heaven. / Enfeoff as king. / Flourish, abound. | ||||||
| wǎng ㄨㄤˇ | To, go to. | ||||||
| 曰 | 曰+0 | yuē ㄩㄝ | (1) 說。 Say, speak. | v2,p1482#02 | p.502#01 | p.648r3c03 | |
| 庶 | 广+8 | 庻 𤈲 𠦜 𠪌 𠩽 𠪛 | shù ㄕㄨˋ | numerous, various; multitude | v2,p0886#15 | p.347#20 | p.489r5c01 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 劍 | 刀+13 | 劒 剑 | jiàn ㄐㄧㄢˋ | sword, dagger, saber | v1,p0358#10 | p.144#45 | p.190r4c03 |
| 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. | ||||||
| 如 | 女+3 | rú ㄖㄨˊ | Go to. / According to, in accordance with. / Like, similar to. / As good as, comparable to. / Should. / Or, alternatively. / If, should it be the case. / As for, as regards. / Adjectival suffix. | v2,p1025#09 | p.255#21 | p.378r5c02 | |
| 蓬 | 艸+11 | péng pèng ㄆㄥˊ ㄆㄥˋ | type of raspberry; fairyland | v5,p3267#08 | p.1052#14 | p.1162r5c03 | |
| 頭 | 頁+7 | 𥘖 头 | tóu tou ㄊㄡˊ ㄊㄡ· | head; top; chief, first; boss | v7,p4372#05 | p.1404#20 | p.1477r6c01 |
| 突 | 穴+4 | 𡦾 | tū tú ㄊㄨ ㄊㄨˊ | suddenly, abruptly, unexpectedly | v4,p2722#04 | p.863#21 | p.999r3c01 |
| 鬢 | 髟+14 | 鬂 鬓 | bìn ㄅㄧㄣˋ | hair on temples | v7,p4537#04 | p.1457#10 | p.1519r5c06 |
| 垂 | 土+5 | 埀 𡍮 𠄒 𠂹 𠣔 | chuí ㄔㄨㄟˊ | let down; suspend, hand; down | v1,p0432#05 | p.227#16 | p.318r4c02 |
| 冠 | 冖+7 | guān guàn ㄍㄨㄢ ㄍㄨㄢˋ | cap, crown, headgear | v1,p0303#18 | p.130#23 | p.165r6c07 | |
| 曼 | 曰+7 | 㬅 | màn mán ㄇㄢˋ ㄇㄢˊ | long, extended, vast; beautiful | v1,p0399#15 | p.503#02 | p.652r3c01 |
| 胡 | 肉+5 | 楜 衚 鬍 | hú ㄏㄨˊ | (Of animals) Tissue drooping down under the chin. / Neck. / Part of a weapon which hangs down. / Longevity. / Far, large. / Bearded. / What, why. / Arbitrary, unjustified. / The state of Hu. / Outsiders, foreigners. / Type of sacrificial vessel. | v3,p2056#08 | p.979#12 | p.1093r2c01 |
| 纓 | 糸+17 | 缨 | yīng ㄧㄥ | a chin strap, tassel; to annoy, bother | v5,p3468#14 | p.943#24 | p.1063r1c03 |
| 短 | 矢+7 | duǎn ㄉㄨㄢˇ | short; brief; deficient, lacking | v4,p2584#03 | p.824#33 | p.956r4c04 | |
| 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 |
| 衣 | 衣+0 | 衤 | yī yì ㄧ ㄧˋ | clothes, clothing; cover, skin | v5,p3074#01 | p.1111#01 | p.1208r5c01 |
| 瞋 | 目+10 | chēn ㄔㄣ | glare with anger | v4,p2505#12 | p.814#06 | ||
| 目 | 目+0 | 𡇡 𥃦 𥆤 | mù ㄇㄨˋ | eye; look, see; division, topic | v4,p2467#01 | p.798#25 | p.943r2c02 |
| 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. | ||||||
| 語 | 言+7 | 语 | yǔ ㄩˇ | Speak (with someone). / Spoken words. / Language. / Proverb, saying. | v6,p3974#09 | p.1163#08 | p.1245r6c03 |
| yù ㄩˋ | Tell. / Warn, admonish. | ||||||
| 難 | 隹+11 | 𩁢 𩁬 𩀙 𩁣 𩁲 𩁩 𩀏 𩁤 难 | nán ㄋㄢˊ | Difficult, not easy. / Make difficult, think difficult. | v6,p4108#05 | p.1370#05 | p.1446r3c01 |
| nàn ㄋㄢˋ | Disaster. / Blame. / Censure, reject. / Resent. / Hate. / Doctrine, thesis. | ||||||
| nǎn ㄋㄢˇ | Fear. | ||||||
| nuó ㄋㄨㄛˊ | Luxuriant. / Ceremony to banish sprits thought responsible for contagion. / How, why. | ||||||
| 相 | 目+4 | xiāng ㄒㄧㄤ | Mutual. / In succession. / Together. | v4,p2470#13 | p.800#18 | p.945r1c01 | |
| xiàng ㄒㄧㄤˋ | Watch. / Appearance. / Fortune-telling by appearance. / Help, assist. / Guide for the blind. / Prime minister, most senior minister. / Ceremonial officer. | ||||||
| 擊 | 手+13 | 撃 击 | jī jí jì xí ㄐㄧ ㄐㄧˊ ㄐㄧˋ ㄒㄧˊ | strike, hit, beat; attack, fight | v3,p1965#06 | p.458#09 | p.594r2c01 |
| 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 |
| 前 | 刀+7 | 歬 𣦃 | qián ㄑㄧㄢˊ | in front, forward; preceding | v1,p0248#04 | p.140#15 | p.184r4c01 |
| 上 | 一+2 | 丄 𠄞 | shàng ㄕㄤˋ | top; superior, highest; go up, send up | v1,p0005#04 | p.76#07 | p.24r2c01 |
| 斬 | 斤+7 | 斩 | zhǎn ㄓㄢˇ | cut, chop, sever; behead | v3,p2024#10 | p.479#18 | p.614r4c01 |
| 頸 | 頁+7 | 颈 | jǐng gěng ㄐㄧㄥˇ ㄍㄥˇ | neck, throat | v7,p4373#07 | p.1405#14 | p.1478r5c02 |
| 領 | 頁+5 | 領 领 | lǐng ㄌㄧㄥˇ | neck; collar; lead, guide | v7,p4365#05 | p.1402#23 | p.1477r1c03 |
| 下 | 一+2 | 丅 厥 𠄟 | xià ㄒㄧㄚˋ | under, underneath, below; down; inferior; bring down | v1,p0007#01 | p.76#10 | p.28r1c01 |
| 決 | 水+4 | 决 | jué ㄐㄩㄝˊ | decide, determine, judge | v3,p1574#03 | p.609#03 | p.768r3c02 |
| 肝 | 肉+3 | gān ㄍㄢ | liver | v3,p2044#03 | p.974#09 | p.1088r6c04 | |
| 肺 | 肉+4 | fèi pèi ㄈㄟˋ ㄆㄟˋ | lungs | v3,p2047#02 | p.976#24 | p.1090r5c01 | |
| 此 | 止+2 | cǐ ㄘˇ | This. / Like this. / Here. / Adverb: then. | v2,p1438#03 | p.574#10 | p.735r4c01 | |
| 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 |
| 異 | 田+6 | 異 𢄖 异 | yì ㄧˋ | different, unusual, strange | v4,p2540#05 | p.763#18 | p.916r1c02 |
| 鬥 | 鬥+0 | 鬬 鬭 鬦 鬪 斗 | dòu ㄉㄡˋ | struggle, fight, compete, contend | v7,p4515#01 | p.1457#29 | p.1519r6c05 |
| 雞 | 隹+10 | 鷄 鳮 鸡 | jī ㄐㄧ | chickens; domestic fowl | v6,p4105#02 | p.1369#02 | p.1443r6c01 |
| 一 | 一+0 | 弌 壹 | yī ㄧ | one; a, an; alone | v1,p0001#01 | p.75#01 | p.1r1c01 |
| 旦 | 日+1 | 蛋 | dàn ㄉㄢˋ | dawn; morning; day | v2,p1483#01 | p.489#03 | p.628r5c01 |
| 命 | 口+5 | mìng ㄇㄧㄥˋ | Order, command. / Written order, commandment. / Send (on a mission), dispatch. / A (diplomatic) mission. / Force, make do. / Instruct, tell. / Gift given by a ruler to his ministers by rank. / Will of heaven. / Fate. / Life, lifespan. / Call, name, assign a name to. / Know for certain. | v1,p0604#11 | p.183#18 | p.266r6c01 | |
| 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 | |
| 絕 | 糸+6 | 𢇍 𠤉 绝 | jué ㄐㄩㄝˊ | cut, sever, break off, terminate | v5,p3396#04 | p.922#04 | p.1041r6c02 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 用 | 用+0 | 𤰆 𠛁 | yòng ㄩㄥˋ | use, employ, apply, operate; use | v1,p0097#05 | p.755#24 | p.908r6c02 |
| 國 | 囗+8 | 圀 國 囗 囶 𢧌 䆐 囯 国 | guó ㄍㄨㄛˊ | nation, country, nation-state | v1,p0720#09 | p.219#16 | p.303r4c02 |
| 事 | 亅+7 | 亊 叓 𠭏 | shì ㄕˋ | Office, duty. / Job, career. / Things, affairs. / Accident, incident. / Engage (in), pursue. / Serve. | v1,p0023#03 | p.85#24 | p.58r3c02 |
| 今 | 人+2 | jīn ㄐㄧㄣ | now, today, modern era | v1,p0105#05 | p.91#18 | p.83r5c02 | |
| 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. | ||||||
| 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. | ||||||
| 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 |
| 位 | 人+5 | wèi ㄨㄟˋ | throne; position, post; rank, status; seat | v1,p0138#03 | p.98#07 | p.96r1c04 | |
| 好 | 女+3 | 𡥆 𡚽 𩐔 | hǎo ㄏㄠˇ | Attractive appearance. / Wonderful, beautiful. / Healthy, fit. / Excellent. / Harmonious. / Complete. / In order to. / Adverb: very. / Adverb: many or long. | v2,p1028#01 | p.255#11 | p.378r1c03 |
| hào ㄏㄠˋ | Like, find pleasing. / Hole in a piece of jade or a coin.. | ||||||
| 臣 | 臣+0 | 𢘑 | chén ㄔㄣˊ | minister, statesman, official | v4,p2801#01 | p.999#13 | p.1106r2c02 |
| 竊 | 穴+17 | 𥨱 𢿝 窃 | qiè ㄑㄧㄝˋ | (3) 謙辭：私下，自私。 Humble expression: selfishly. | v4,p2747#07 | p.870#08 | p.1002r3c02 |
| 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. | ||||||
| 薄 | 艸+13 | bó báo bò bù ㄅㄛˊ ㄅㄠˊ ㄅㄛˋ ㄅㄨˋ | thin, slight, weak; poor, stingy | v5,p3307#03 | p.1060#12 | p.1168r6c05 |
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