| Chinese Text Project |
| 故聖人之為國也，入令民以屬農，出令民以計戰。 | A sage, therefore, in organizing a country causes the people in home affairs to adhere to agriculture, and in foreign affairs to scheme for war. |
| 夫農民之所苦； | Now, agriculture makes the people suffer hardships, |
| 而戰，民之所危也。 | and war makes them run dangers, |
| 犯其所苦， | and the means whereby they can be led to encounter hardships |
| 行其所危者， | and to perform actions that expose them to danger, |
| 計也。 | is calculation. |
| 故民生則計利，死則慮名。 | For the people, when alive, scheme for profit, and when in danger of death, are anxious for fame. |
| 名利之所出，不可不審也。 | It is necessary to examine whence fame and profit spring. |
| 利出於地， | If the profit comes from the soil, |
| 則民盡力； | then people will use their strength to the full; |
| 名出於戰， | if fame results from war, |
| 則民致死。 | then they will fight to the death. |
| 入使民盡力， | Now if, at home, the people are directed to use their strength to the full, |
| 則草不荒； | then the fields will not lie fallow; |
| 出使民致死， | and if, abroad, they are directed to fight to the death, |
| 則勝敵。 | then they conquer their enemies. |
| 勝敵而草不荒， | If enemies are conquered and at the same time fields do not lie fallow, |
| 富強之功，可坐而致也。 | then without moving, the result will be obtained of having both wealth and strength. |
| 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 | |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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. | ||||||
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 | |
| 令 | 人+3 | 令 | lìng ㄌㄧㄥˋ | Order, decree / Drinking game. / Give an order, issue a command. / Cause, make. / Seasons. / Official title: top administrative official in a district. / Official title: central or local official in charge of a particular function. / Good, good looking. / Respectful term for another's family. / A short form of writing. / Words said out of politeness or diplomacy. | v1,p0111#10 | p.93#12 | p.87r2c01 |
| líng ㄌㄧㄥˊ | If. / Wagtail. | ||||||
| lián ㄌㄧㄢˊ | Same as 「令居」 lián jū ㄌㄧㄢˊ ㄐㄩ: [Name of a place] | ||||||
| 民 | 氏+1 | 𠘽 | mín ㄇㄧㄣˊ | people, subjects, citizens | v3,p2131#01 | p.598#01 | p.750r3c01 |
| 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 |
| 屬 | 尸+18 | 属 𡱆 | shǔ zhǔ ㄕㄨˇ ㄓㄨˇ | class, category, type; to belong to | v2,p0982#08 | p.304#07 | p.451r2c06 |
| 農 | 辰+6 | 莀 䢉 𦦥 辳 𨑇 𣊤 𨑋 𨑆 𦦤 农 | nóng ㄋㄨㄥˊ | agriculture, farming; farmer | v6,p3607#03 | p.1252#24 | p.1311r1c02 |
| 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 |
| 計 | 言+2 | 计 | jì ㄐㄧˋ | plan, plot; strategem; scheme | v6,p3937#04 | p.1147#01 | p.1237r2c01 |
| 戰 | 戈+12 | 戦 战 | zhàn ㄓㄢˋ | war, fighting, battle | v2,p1412#12 | p.414#11 | p.553r5c01 |
| 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. | ||||||
| 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 |
| 苦 | 艸+5 | kǔ gǔ ㄎㄨˇ ㄍㄨˇ | bitter; hardship, suffering | v5,p3186#02 | p.1023#16 | p.1130r4c01 | |
| 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. | ||||||
| 危 | 卩+4 | 𡵁 | wēi wéi ㄨㄟ ㄨㄟˊ | dangerous, precarious; high | v1,p0312#03 | p.159#12 | p.226r2c01 |
| 犯 | 犬+2 | 𤝑 𢒿 | fàn ㄈㄢˋ | commit crime, violate; criminal | v2,p1331#08 | p.706#02 | p.873r3c02 |
| 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. | ||||||
| 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. | ||||||
| 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. | ||||||
| 生 | 生+0 | 𤯓 | shēng ㄕㄥ | life, living, lifetime; birth | v4,p2575#01 | p.754#26 | p.906r5c03 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 死 | 歹+2 | 𠑾 𣥴 | sǐ ㄙˇ | die; dead; death | v2,p1380#06 | p.578#22 | p.740r6c06 |
| 慮 | 心+11 | 虑 | lǜ ㄌㄩˋ | be concerned, worry about | v4,p2342#02 | p.399#34 | p.542r6c01 |
| 名 | 口+3 | míng ㄇㄧㄥˊ | Name. / Writing. / To name, give a name to. / Call, refer to as. / Title, name of. / Title, status. / Fame, recognition. / Famous, well-known. / Large. / Between the eyebrows and eyelashes. / The School of Names. | v1,p0582#06 | p.175#09 | p.254r2c01 | |
| 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 |
| 可 | 口+2 | 歌 厥 | kě kè ㄎㄜˇ ㄎㄜˋ | may, can, -able; possibly | v1,p0567#07 | p.172#12 | p.244r1c02 |
| 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. | ||||||
| 審 | 宀+12 | 宷 审 | shěn ㄕㄣˇ | (4) 慎重，審慎。 Cautious, prudent, take seriously. | v2,p0954#05 | p.291#22 | p.429r6c03 |
| 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 |
| 地 | 土+3 | 埊 𨻐 埅 𠏂 嶳 | dì de ㄉㄧˋ ㄉㄜ· | earth; soil, ground; region | v1,p0420#12 | p.224#06 | p.312r6c01 |
| 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 |
| 力 | 力+0 | 力 𠠲 | lì ㄌㄧˋ | power, capability, influence | v1,p0364#04 | p.146#05 | p.191r4c03 |
| 致 | 至+3 | 緻 | zhì zhuì ㄓˋ ㄓㄨㄟˋ | send, deliver, present; cause | v4,p2815#06 | p.1001#19 | p.602r5c01 |
| 使 | 人+6 | 𡥐 𠭆 | shǐ ㄕˇ | Order, send (on a mission). / Cause, make. / Allocate, use. / Indulge in.. / Send as an envoy. / Envoy, messenger. / Connective: if, supposing. | v1,p0145#02 | p.101#05 | p.101r3c03 |
| 草 | 艸+6 | 艸 艹 屮 | cǎo zào ㄘㄠˇ ㄗㄠˋ | grass, straw, thatch, herbs | v5,p3203#04 | p.1030#17 | p.1136r6c01 |
| 荒 | 艸+6 | 𠃤 𠯚 | huāng huǎng kāng ㄏㄨㄤ ㄏㄨㄤˇ ㄎㄤ | wasteland, desert; uncultivated | v5,p3209#02 | p.1031#08 | p.1138r3c02 |
| 勝 | 力+10 | 𠢧 𠅫 𢾶 胜 | shèng shēng ㄕㄥˋ ㄕㄥ | victory; excel, be better than | v3,p2090#13 | p.148#31 | p.197r6c02 |
| 敵 | 攴+11 | 敌 | dí ㄉㄧˊ | enemy, foe, rival; resist | v2,p1475#04 | p.474#48 | p.607r1c02 |
| 富 | 宀+9 | 冨 | fù ㄈㄨˋ | abundant, ample; rich, wealthy | v2,p0942#04 | p.288#27 | p.425r1c07 |
| 強 | 弓+8 | 强 彊 | qiáng qiǎng jiàng ㄑㄧㄤˊ ㄑㄧㄤˇ ㄐㄧㄤˋ | strong, powerful, energetic | v2,p0999#07 | p.359#23 | p.504r5c01 |
| 功 | 力+3 | gōng ㄍㄨㄥ | achievement, merit, good result | v1,p0365#08 | p.146#11 | p.192r3c03 | |
| 坐 | 土+4 | 座 㘸 | zuò ㄗㄨㄛˋ | sit; seat; ride, travel by | v1,p0423#12 | p.225#15 | p.317r1c01 |
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