| Chinese Text Project |
| 夫王道一端， | Indeed, a king's principles represent one viewpoint, |
| 而臣道一端； | and those of a minister another. |
| 所道則異， | The principles each follows are different, |
| 而所繩則一也。 | but are one in both representing a fixed standard. |
| 故曰： | Therefore, it is said: |
| 「民愚， | 'When the people are stupid, |
| 則知可以王； | by knowledge one may rise to supremacy; |
| 世知， | when the world is wise, |
| 則力可以王。」 | by force one may rise to supremacy.' |
| 民愚， | That means that when people are stupid, |
| 則力有餘而知不足； | there are plenty of strong men but not enough wise, |
| 世知， | and when the world is wise, |
| 則巧有餘而力不足。 | there are plenty of clever men, but not enough strong. |
| 民之性，不知則學，力盡而服。 | It is the nature of people, when they have no knowledge, to study; and when they have no strength, to submit. |
| 故神農教耕而王天下， | So when Shen-nong taught ploughing and attained supreme sway, |
| 師其知也； | the leadership was by means of his knowledge; |
| 湯武致強而征諸侯， | when Tang and Wu made themselves strong and attacked the feudal lords, |
| 服其力也。 | the subjugation was by means of their force. |
| 夫民愚， | That is, in the case of uneducated people, |
| 不懷知而問； | when they possess no knowledge, they are anxious to learn; |
| 世知， | in the case of an educated society, |
| 無餘力而服。 | not having force, it submits. |
| 故以愛王天下者， | Therefore, he who wishes to attain supreme sway by means of love, |
| 并刑； | rejects punishments, |
| 力征諸侯者， | and he who wishes to subjugate the feudal lords by means of force, |
| 退德。 | relegates virtue to the background. |
| Character | Composition | Variants | Reading | Meaning | Hanyu | Kangxi | Cihai |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 夫 | 大+1 | fū ㄈㄨ | General term for adult men. / Adult labourers in particular. / Soldier. / Respectful term for a man. / Husband. / Unit of area equal to one hundred mu. | v1,p0521#01 | p.248#11 | p.367r2c01 | |
| fú ㄈㄨˊ | Demonstrative pronoun: this, these. / Modal particle used at the start of a sentence for emphasis or to indicate an assertion. / Modal particle used in the middle of a sentence to soften the tone. / Modal particle used at the end of a sentence to express exclamation. | ||||||
| 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. | ||||||
| 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. | ||||||
| 一 | 一+0 | 弌 壹 | yī ㄧ | one; a, an; alone | v1,p0001#01 | p.75#01 | p.1r1c01 |
| 端 | 立+9 | 耑 | duān ㄉㄨㄢ | end, extreme; head; beginning | v4,p2714#01 | p.872#32 | p.1005r3c05 |
| 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. | ||||||
| 臣 | 臣+0 | 𢘑 | chén ㄔㄣˊ | minister, statesman, official | v4,p2801#01 | p.999#13 | p.1106r2c02 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 異 | 田+6 | 異 𢄖 异 | yì ㄧˋ | different, unusual, strange | v4,p2540#05 | p.763#18 | p.916r1c02 |
| 繩 | 糸+13 | 縄 繩 䋲 绳 | shéng mǐn yìng shèng ㄕㄥˊ ㄇㄧㄣˇ ㄧㄥˋ ㄕㄥˋ | rope, string, cord; measure, restrain | v5,p3457#09 | p.940#04 | p.1060r5c05 |
| 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 |
| 故 | 攴+5 | gù ㄍㄨˋ | (8) 連詞：所以，因此。 Hence, thus. | v2,p1453#05 | p.469#25 | p.601r5c01 | |
| 曰 | 曰+0 | yuē ㄩㄝ | (1) 說。 Say, speak. | v2,p1482#02 | p.502#01 | p.648r3c03 | |
| 民 | 氏+1 | 𠘽 | mín ㄇㄧㄣˊ | people, subjects, citizens | v3,p2131#01 | p.598#01 | p.750r3c01 |
| 愚 | 心+9 | yú ㄩˊ | stupid, doltish, foolish | v4,p2321#07 | p.395#12 | p.537r6c06 | |
| 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. | ||||||
| 可 | 口+2 | 歌 厥 | kě kè ㄎㄜˇ ㄎㄜˋ | may, can, -able; possibly | v1,p0567#07 | p.172#12 | p.244r1c02 |
| 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 |
| 世 | 一+4 | 丗 卋 | shì ㄕˋ | generation; world; era | v1,p0014#06 | p.77#11 | p.35r1c02 |
| 力 | 力+0 | 力 𠠲 | lì ㄌㄧˋ | power, capability, influence | v1,p0364#04 | p.146#05 | p.191r4c03 |
| 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. | ||||||
| 餘 | 食+7 | 馀 余 | yú yé ㄩˊ ㄧㄝˊ | surplus, excess, remainder | v7,p4456#09 | p.1420#25 | p.1492r3c03 |
| 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. | ||||||
| 足 | 足+0 | 疋 𤴕 | zú jù ㄗㄨˊ ㄐㄩˋ | foot; attain, satisfy, enough | v6,p3686#01 | p.1221#17 | p.1287r6c03 |
| 巧 | 工+2 | 丂 𢩨 | qiǎo ㄑㄧㄠˇ | skillful, ingenious, clever | v1,p0412#01 | p.325#09 | p.465r5c01 |
| 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 |
| 性 | 心+5 | xìng ㄒㄧㄥˋ | nature, character, sex | v4,p2286#04 | p.381#24 | p.527r1c01 | |
| 不 | 一+3 | 不 𠀚 𠙐 | bù ㄅㄨˋ | (3.1) 否定副詞：用於動詞、形容詞等前面，表示否定。 Negational adverb, used before verbs, adjectives, etc. to indicate negation. | v1,p0011#06 | p.76#15 | p.30r1c01 |
| 學 | 子+13 | 𢻯 斈 学 | xué ㄒㄩㄝˊ | Study, learn. / Doctrine, teaching. / School of thought. / School, place of learning. / Account, state. | v2,p1019#11 | p.280#28 | p.403r3c05 |
| xiào ㄒㄧㄠˋ | Instruct, teach. | ||||||
| 盡 | 皿+9 | 𥁞 尽 | jìn ㄐㄧㄣˋ | Finished, all gone. / Finish, end. / Die. / Until. / Exert oneself to the utmost. / Exhaust. / Limit, extreme. / (Spoken) clearly and unambiguously. / Fully, completely. / Most (superlative). / Advance, move forward. / Expense. | v4,p2567#05 | p.795#22 | p.940r3c05 |
| 服 | 月+4 | 𣍞 𦨈 | fú fù bì ㄈㄨˊ ㄈㄨˋ ㄅㄧˋ | clothes; wear, dress | v3,p2053#07 | p.505#02 | |
| 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 | |
| 神農 | 示+5 辰+6 | 神 𥛠 莀 䢉 𦦥 辳 𨑇 𣊤 𨑋 𨑆 𦦤 农 | shén nóng ㄕㄣˊ ㄋㄨㄥˊ | [人名] [Name of a person] | v4,p2392#01 v6,p3607#03 | p.842#03 p.1252#24 | p.1311r1c02 |
| 教 | 攴+7 | 敎 | jiào jiāo ㄐㄧㄠˋ ㄐㄧㄠ | teach, class | v2,p1459#09 | p.472#05 | |
| 耕 | 耒+4 | 畊 簡 | gēng ㄍㄥ | plow, cultivate | v4,p2770#10 | p.962#23 | p.1080r5c02 |
| 王 | 玉+0 | wàng ㄨㄤˋ | (4) 稱王，統治天下。 Rule as king, control all under heaven. | v2,p1099#10 | p.727#02 | p.888r1c02 | |
| 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 |
| 師 | 巾+7 | 𠵀 𠦵 𢂖 𩇱 师 | shī ㄕ | Unit of 2500 soldiers. / Troops in general. / The masses. / Teacher. / Take ... as one's teacher. / Model, example. / Follow, mimic, learn from. / Specialist, expert. / Official, chief. / Lion. | v1,p0740#02 | p.331#35 | p.475r3c05 |
| 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. | ||||||
| 湯 | 水+9 | 汤 | tāng ㄊㄤ | 商朝第一個君王。 Tang, the first ruler of the Shang dynasty. | v3,p1674#03 | p.638#16 | p.816r5c02 |
| 武 | 止+4 | wǔ ㄨˇ | Same as 「周武王」 zhōu wǔ wáng ㄓㄡ ㄨˇ ㄨㄤˊ: 西周的創建者，姬姓，名發，諡號武王。姓名：姬發，在位前1046-前1043。 King Wu of Zhou, first king of the Zhou dynasty. (ruled 1046 BC-1043 BC)  | v2,p1439#05 | p.575#09 | p.736r4c01 | |
| 致 | 至+3 | 緻 | zhì zhuì ㄓˋ ㄓㄨㄟˋ | send, deliver, present; cause | v4,p2815#06 | p.1001#19 | p.602r5c01 |
| 強 | 弓+8 | 强 彊 | qiáng qiǎng jiàng ㄑㄧㄤˊ ㄑㄧㄤˇ ㄐㄧㄤˋ | strong, powerful, energetic | v2,p0999#07 | p.359#23 | p.504r5c01 |
| 征 | 彳+5 | 徰 徵 | zhēng ㄓㄥ | invade, attack, conquer | v2,p0815#02 | p.365#37 | p.510r2c01 |
| 諸侯 | 言+9 人+7 | 𢒕 诸 𥎦 | zhū hóu ㄓㄨ ㄏㄡˊ | 古代帝王分封的各國國君，規定要服從王命，定期朝貢述職。 Ruler of a vassal state during the Zhou dynasty. | v6,p3982#03 v1,p0167#01 | p.1172#04 p.103#07 | p.104r3c06 |
| 懷 | 心+16 | 怀 怌 褱 | huái ㄏㄨㄞˊ | bosom, breast; carry in bosom | v4,p2369#10 | p.408#17 | p.548r1c06 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 愛 | 心+9 | 𤔤 𢟪 𢛭 爱 | ài ㄞˋ | love, be fond of, like | v4,p2323#01 | p.395#13 | p.538r1c01 |
| 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. | ||||||
| 并 | 干+5 | 並 幷 竝 併 | bìng bīng ㄅㄧㄥˋ ㄅㄧㄥ | combine, annex; also, what's more | v1,p0242#06 | p.340#03 | p.484r4c02 |
| 刑 | 刀+4 | xíng ㄒㄧㄥˊ | Punish. / Kill, put to death. / Harm, disaster. / Law, rules of punishment. / Rule by law. / A die used in casting. / A model, an example. / To emulate, imitate. / Achieve, establish. / Same as 「鉶」 xíng ㄒㄧㄥˊ: Porcelain soup bowl. / Same as 「形(1.1)」 xíng ㄒㄧㄥˊ: Body, thing with form. / Same as 「形(5)」 xíng ㄒㄧㄥˊ: Exhibit, show. | v1,p0324#15 | p.137#11 | p.178r4c02 | |
| 退 | 辵+6 | 𨓆 𨑧 𢓴 𢓇 𨔫 | tuì ㄊㄨㄟˋ | step back, retreat, withdraw | v6,p3834#04 | p.1256#14 | p.1314r4c01 |
| 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 |
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