| Chinese Text Project |
| 是以， | Therefore (those sages), |
| 明於天之道， | fully understanding the way of Heaven, |
| 而察於民之故， | and having clearly ascertained the experience of the people, |
| 是興神物以前民用。 | instituted (the employment of) these spirit-like things, as a provision for the use of the people. |
| 聖人以此齊戒， | The sages went about the employment of them (moreover) by purifying their hearts and with reverent caution, |
| 以神明其德夫！ | thereby giving (more) spirituality and intelligence to their virtue. |
| 是故， | Thus, |
| 闔戶謂之坤； | a door shut may be pronounced (analogous to) Kun (or the inactive condition), |
| 闢戶謂之乾； | and the opening of the door (analogous to) Qian (or the active condition). |
| 一闔一闢謂之變； | The opening succeeding the being shut may be pronounced (analogous to what we call) a change; |
| 往來不窮謂之通； | and the passing from one of these states to the other may be called the constant course (of things). |
| 見乃謂之象； | The (first) appearance of anything (as a bud) is what we call a semblance; |
| 形乃謂之器； | when it has received its complete form, we call it a definite thing. |
| 制而用之， | (The divining-plant having been produced, the sages) set it apart and laid down the method of its employment, |
| 謂之法； | - what we call the laws (of divination). |
| 利用出入， | The advantage arising from it in external and internal matters, |
| 民咸用之， | so that the people all use it, |
| 謂之神。 | stamps it with a character which we call spirit-like. |
| Character | Composition | Variants | Reading | Meaning | Hanyu | Kangxi | Cihai |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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. | ||||||
| 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. | ||||||
| 察 | 宀+11 | 詧 | chá ㄔㄚˊ | examine, investigate; notice | v2,p0948#08 | p.290#16 | p.426r6c05 |
| 民 | 氏+1 | 𠘽 | mín ㄇㄧㄣˊ | people, subjects, citizens | v3,p2131#01 | p.598#01 | p.750r3c01 |
| 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 | |
| 興 | 臼+9 | 㒷 兴 | xīng ㄒㄧㄥ | Get up, arise. / Rise up, appear. / Create. / Establish, set up. / Advocate. / Move, start moving, raise (an army). / Do. / Select, pick out. / Collect. / Flourish, prosper. | v1,p0253#09 | p.1005#05 | p.1113r4c01 |
| xìng ㄒㄧㄥˋ | Like, appreciate. / Metaphor. / One of the six literary styles in the Book of Poetry. | ||||||
| 神 | 示+5 | 神 𥛠 | shén shēn ㄕㄣˊ ㄕㄣ | spirit, god, supernatural being | v4,p2392#01 | p.842#03 | |
| 物 | 牛+4 | wù ㄨˋ | thing, substance, creature | v3,p1805#03 | p.699#09 | p.869r5c01 | |
| 前 | 刀+7 | 歬 𣦃 | qián ㄑㄧㄢˊ | in front, forward; preceding | v1,p0248#04 | p.140#15 | p.184r4c01 |
| 用 | 用+0 | 𤰆 𠛁 | yòng ㄩㄥˋ | use, employ, apply, operate; use | v1,p0097#05 | p.755#24 | p.908r6c02 |
| 聖人 | 耳+7 人+0 | 堊 𦕡 𠄵 圣 𠔽 亻 | shèng rén ㄕㄥˋ ㄖㄣˊ | 出類拔萃的人。 Sage, outstanding person. | v4,p2789#06 v1,p0101#10 | p.967#22 p.91#01 | p.1082r6c06 p.80r2c01 |
| 此 | 止+2 | cǐ ㄘˇ | This. / Like this. / Here. / Adverb: then. | v2,p1438#03 | p.574#10 | p.735r4c01 | |
| 齊 | 齊+0 | 亝 斉 斋 齋 齐 | qí ㄑㄧˊ | Orderly, uniform. / Together, along with. / Equal, the same. / Level, of equal height. / Regulate, put in order. / Order, command. / Complete, entire. / Very fast, nimble. / Limit, boundary. / To limit, to impose a boundary on. / Distinguish, separate. / Navel, bellybutton. / Central. / Swirl, vortex. / The pre-Qin state of Qi. | v7,p4783#01 | p.1531#06 | p.1569r4c01 |
| jī ㄐㄧ | Rise up, climb. / Preserved vegetables. | ||||||
| jì ㄐㄧˋ | Blend, mix together, prepare (medicine). / Condiments. / Medicine. / Portion, dose. / Proportion of metal in an alloy. | ||||||
| jiǎn ㄐㄧㄢˇ | Cut off. | ||||||
| zhāi ㄓㄞ | Fast, abstain from meat, wine, etc. / Solemnity. / Dignified, respectful. | ||||||
| zī ㄗ | Lower hem of an item of clothing. / Raise the lower part of the funeral dress. | ||||||
| 戒 | 戈+3 | 𢦬 | jiè ㄐㄧㄝˋ | warn, caution, admonish | v2,p1400#05 | p.412#05 | p.552r2c01 |
| 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. | ||||||
| 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 |
| 夫 | 大+1 | fú ㄈㄨˊ | (6.3) 語氣詞：用於句尾，表示感嘆。 Modal particle used at the end of a sentence to express exclamation. | v1,p0521#01 | p.248#11 | p.367r2c01 | |
| 闔 | 門+10 | 閤 阖 | hé gé ㄏㄜˊ ㄍㄜˊ | close; whole, entire; all; leaf | v7,p4312#01 | p.1340#02 | p.1411r5c04 |
| 戶 | 戶+0 | 戸 㦿 𣥘 户 | hù ㄏㄨˋ | door; family, household | v3,p2257#01 | p.414#32 | p.555r1c02 |
| 謂 | 言+9 | 谓 | wèi ㄨㄟˋ | To (when speaking to someone). / Say, speak. / Call, name. / Meaning, what is meant. / Discuss, comment on (a person). / How? / Same as 「為(21.3)」 wèi ㄨㄟˋ: Preposition: because of, due to. | v6,p3997#06 | p.1173#12 | p.1251r6c01 |
| wéi ㄨㄟˊ | Same as 「為(10)」 wéi ㄨㄟˊ: Count as, be considered as. | ||||||
| 坤 | 土+5 | 巛 𠔜 堃 | kūn ㄎㄨㄣ | earth; feminine, female | v1,p0431#07 | p.226#14 | p.317r6c05 |
| 闢 | 門+13 | 𨴔 | pì ㄆㄧˋ | open; settle, develop, open up | v7,p4320#12 | p.1342#10 | p.1414r1c03 |
| 乾 | 乙+10 | 漧 𠄋 乹 亁 干 | gān qián ㄍㄢ ㄑㄧㄢˊ | dry; first hexagram; warming principle of the sun, penetrating and fertilizing, heavenly generative principle (male) | v1,p0056#10 | p.84#25 | p.56r2c02 |
| 一 | 一+0 | 弌 壹 | yī ㄧ | one; a, an; alone | v1,p0001#01 | p.75#01 | p.1r1c01 |
| 變 | 言+16 | 変 𢒟 𢒪 𢒦 变 | biàn ㄅㄧㄢˋ | Change, alteration. / Movement. / Adapt to, accommodate. / Event, incident. / Disaster. / Unusual event. | v2,p1481#07 | p.1186#12 | p.1257r6c06 |
| 往 | 彳+5 | 徃 𢔎 𨓹 | wǎng wàng ㄨㄤˇ ㄨㄤˋ | go, depart; past, formerly | v2,p0817#06 | p.365#32 | p.509r6c03 |
| 來 | 人+6 | 來 来 徠 耒 | lái ㄌㄞˊ | Wheat. / Come, approach, draw near. / Return. / Incur, lead to. / Will, in the future. / Since, from some time until now. / Approximate number. / Particle: used when the object of a sentence is moved forward to emphasize the object. / Particle used to alter tempo. / Modal particle expressing suggestion or encouragement. | v1,p0141#08 | p.101#16 | p.102r1c01 |
| lài ㄌㄞˋ | See 勞來. | ||||||
| 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. | ||||||
| 窮 | 穴+10 | 竆 穷 | qióng ㄑㄩㄥˊ | poor, destitute, impoverished | v4,p2737#12 | p.867#10 | p.1000r6c05 |
| 通 | 辵+7 | 𢓶 | tōng tòng ㄊㄨㄥ ㄊㄨㄥˋ | pass through, common, communicate | v6,p3845#08 | p.1258#04 | p.1317r2c02 |
| 見 | 見+0 | 現 见 | jiàn ㄐㄧㄢˋ | See, catch sight of. / Feel, perceive. / Meet, come across. / Meet with, see. / Meet in battle. / Go to see. / Have come to see, have visit. / Grant an interview. / Recommend, introduce. / Introduce, present. / Hear. / Know, understand. / Experience, insight. / Intent, plan. / Used before a verb to indicate passive tense. / Used before a verb to indicate one is the receipient of anothers actions. / Particle used after a verb to indicate simultaneous action. / Coffin clothes. / Mix, mingle. | v6,p3663#01 | p.1133#01 | p.1229r1c01 |
| xiàn ㄒㄧㄢˋ | Appear, become visible. / Manifest, make evident. / Now, at present. / Existing, ready prepared. | ||||||
| 乃 | 丿+1 | 廼 𢏩 𢎧 迺 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 |
| 象 | 豕+5 | 𤉢 𧰼 | xiàng ㄒㄧㄤˋ | elephant; ivory; figure, image | v6,p3611#09 | p.1195#21 | p.1262r5c04 |
| 形 | 彡+4 | xíng ㄒㄧㄥˊ | Body, thing with form. / Human body. / Form, appearance. / Lay of the land. / Circumstances. / Condition, situation. / Form, create. / Exhibit, show. / Compare. / Mould, die. / Same as 「刑(4.1)」 xíng ㄒㄧㄥˊ: Law, rules of punishment. / Same as 「鉶」 xíng ㄒㄧㄥˊ: Porcelain soup bowl. | v2,p0852#10 | p.363#06 | p.507r4c01 | |
| 器 | 口+13 | 噐 𡄛 | qì ㄑㄧˋ | receptacle, vessel; instrument | v1,p0690#07 | p.210#02 | p.291r3c03 |
| 制 | 刀+6 | 𠜔 𠝦 𠝁 𠛐 製 | zhì ㄓˋ | system; establish; overpower | v1,p0335#01 | p.139#02 | p.181r6c04 |
| 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 |
| 利 | 刀+5 | 利 𥝢 𥝤 | lì ㄌㄧˋ | Sharp. / Fast, speedy. / Favourable, lucky. / Convenient, useful. / Profits, benefits. / Beneficial to, good for. / Profit, interest. / Diarrhea. | v1,p0329#02 | p.138#19 | p.180r2c02 |
| 出 | 凵+3 | 岀 | chū ㄔㄨ | Go out, exit. / Outside, without. / Take up a post. / Exile, banish. / Abandon (one's wife). / Free, release. / Give out, hand over. / Give, offer. / Send out, distribute. / Exceed. / Appear, emerge. / Create, make. / Produce, cause to grow. / Bear, give birth. / Origin, place of birth. / Part of an object which extends outwards. / Measure word: times, occurrences. / Measure word: section. | v1,p0307#08 | p.135#11 | p.172r1c01 |
| 入 | 入+0 | rù ㄖㄨˋ | Enter, go into. / Put in, bring in. / Pay, offer. / Income, gains. / Inside, within. | v1,p0102#01 | p.125#32 | p.141r1c03 | |
| 咸 | 口+6 | 鹹 | xián ㄒㄧㄢˊ | together; all, completely; united | v2,p1404#02 | p.187#19 | p.269r4c06 |
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