| Chinese Text Project |
| 且古有堯舜， | Moreover, in antiquity, there were Yao and Shun, |
| 當時而見稱； | who in their lifetime were praised; |
| 中世有湯武， | in the middle ages there were Tang and Wu, |
| 在位而民服。 | during whose reigns people submitted. |
| 此四王者，萬世之所稱以為聖王者也。 | These are the three Kings, who are praised by ten thousand generations and are regarded as sage-kings. |
| 然其道猶不能取用於後。 | Yet their methods cannot be applied in later times: |
| 今復之三世， | Should You now make exemptions from taxation for three generations, |
| 而三晉之民可盡也， | You would be able completely to subject the three Jin states. |
| 是非王賢力今時， | This is not, like the virtuous kings, merely establishing the present times.... |
| 而使後世為王用乎？ | but effecting that later generations shall be at the service of the king! |
| 然則非聖別說， | This, however, does not mean that I do not welcome a sage, |
| 而聽聖人難也。 | but it is difficult to await a sage. |
| Character | Composition | Variants | Reading | Meaning | Hanyu | Kangxi | Cihai |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 且 | 一+4 | 𠀇 𠀃 | qiě ㄑㄧㄝˇ | This. / Connective: both, also. / Connective: and. / Connective: not only that, furthermore. / Connective: or. / Connective: not only, even. / Connective: if. / Adverb: will. / Adverb: briefly. / Adverb: almost. / Particle used at the start of a sentence. | v1,p0015#05 | p.77#07 | p.34r6c02 |
| jū ㄐㄩ | Appearance of a great many. / Exclamation. / Alternative name for the sixth month. | ||||||
| cú ㄘㄨˊ | Go. | ||||||
| 古 | 口+2 | 𠖠 𡇣 | gǔ ㄍㄨˇ | old, classic, ancient | v1,p0568#03 | p.171#08 | p.240r1c02 |
| 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. | ||||||
| 堯 | 土+9 | 𡋰 尧 | yáo ㄧㄠˊ | 帝堯，古代聖王之一。 Yao, a legendary sage king. | v1,p0459#14 | p.234#01 | p.324r3c02 |
| 舜 | 舛+6 | 𡐩 𡳈 𡳉 | shùn ㄕㄨㄣˋ | 帝舜，古代聖王之一。 Shun, a legendary sage king. | v3,p2035#02 | p.1008#10 | p.1116r5c02 |
| 當 | 田+8 | 𤱭 儅 当 | dāng ㄉㄤ | Suit, match. / Comply, conform to. / Administer, be in charge of. / Take charge of. / Resist, oppose. / Equal to, equivalent. / Face towards. / Should, must. / At, of (some place or time). / Cast sentence. / Will. | v4,p2546#06 | p.764#18 | p.917r3c03 |
| dàng ㄉㄤˋ | Suitable, appropriate. / As, for the purpose of, in the capacity of. / Give as security. / Bottom, base. | ||||||
| tǎng ㄊㄤˇ | If, supposing. | ||||||
| cháng ㄔㄤˊ | Once, previously. | ||||||
| 時 | 日+6 | 旹 时 | shí ㄕˊ | Season. / Unit of time equal to two hours. / [The passage of] time. / Time, times. / Age, period, epoch. / Occasion, opportune moment. / On time. / Then, at that time. / Always, constantly. / Same as 「伺(1)」 sì ㄙˋ: Wait until, wait for (a chance). | v2,p1505#05 | p.494#22 | p.639r3c04 |
| 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. | ||||||
| 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. | ||||||
| 稱 | 禾+9 | 偁 穪 秤 称 | chēng chèng chèn ㄔㄥ ㄔㄥˋ ㄔㄣˋ | call; name, brand; address; say | v4,p2619#02 | p.856#24 | p.994r2c02 |
| 中 | 丨+3 | 𠁧 𠁩 塚 | zhōng zhòng ㄓㄨㄥ ㄓㄨㄥˋ | central; center, middle; in the midst of; hit (target); attain | v1,p0028#10 | p.79#03 | p.37r4c02 |
| 世 | 一+4 | 丗 卋 | shì ㄕˋ | generation; world; era | v1,p0014#06 | p.77#11 | p.35r1c02 |
| 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 | |
| 在 | 土+3 | zài ㄗㄞˋ | Exist, be alive. / Be in a certain place. / Inquire after, pay one's respects to. / Preposition: due to, being that. / Preposition: specifies location or time of an action - in, at. | v1,p0418#07 | p.223#10 | p.312r2c07 | |
| 位 | 人+5 | wèi ㄨㄟˋ | throne; position, post; rank, status; seat | v1,p0138#03 | p.98#07 | p.96r1c04 | |
| 民 | 氏+1 | 𠘽 | mín ㄇㄧㄣˊ | people, subjects, citizens | v3,p2131#01 | p.598#01 | p.750r3c01 |
| 服 | 月+4 | 𣍞 𦨈 | fú fù bì ㄈㄨˊ ㄈㄨˋ ㄅㄧˋ | clothes; wear, dress | v3,p2053#07 | p.505#02 | |
| 此 | 止+2 | cǐ ㄘˇ | This. / Like this. / Here. / Adverb: then. | v2,p1438#03 | p.574#10 | p.735r4c01 | |
| 四 | 囗+2 | 𦉭 肆 | sì ㄙˋ | four | v1,p0710#16 | p.216#22 | p.294r6c01 |
| 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. | ||||||
| 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. | ||||||
| 萬 | 禸+8 | 万 卍 㸘 𤍚 𢁭 | wàn ㄨㄢˋ | ten thousand; innumerable | v5,p3247#08 | p.1042#33 | p.1149r4c02 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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. | ||||||
| 聖 | 耳+7 | 堊 𦕡 𠄵 圣 | shèng ㄕㄥˋ | holy, sacred; sage | v4,p2789#06 | p.967#22 | p.1082r6c06 |
| 王 | 玉+0 | wáng ㄨㄤˊ | (1.1) 夏商周三代的最高統治者。 King, title of supreme ruler of the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties. | v2,p1099#10 | p.727#02 | p.888r1c02 | |
| 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 |
| 然 | 火+8 | 燃 𤓉 | rán ㄖㄢˊ | Burn. / Demonstrative pronoun: like this, like that. / Expresses affirmation: true, indeed so. / Believe correct, affirm. / Adverb: actually, thus. / Connective: but, however, yet. / Particle used at the end of a sentence to express comparison. Like, as if. / Particle used after an adjective or adverb to express state. / Particle used at the end of a sentence to express affirmative mode. | v3,p2213#05 | p.675#12 | p.852r5c01 |
| 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. | ||||||
| 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. | ||||||
| 猶 | 犬+9 | 犹 | yóu ㄧㄡˊ | A species of monkey / Same, similar. / Similarly, in the same way. / Like, similar to. / Can, able to. / Fitting, suitable. / Still, nevertheless. / Additionally, furthermore. / Connective expression concession: although, despite. / Connective expression supposition: if. / Stratagem, plot. / Method, way. / Scheme, conspire. / Road, path. / Criticize, fault. / Relaxed, at ease. / Same as 「由(1.1)」 yóu ㄧㄡˊ: Do, carry out. / Same as 「由(5.2)」 yóu ㄧㄡˊ: Preposition: from. / Same as 「由(5.1)」 yóu ㄧㄡˊ: Preposition: due to, because of. / Name of a river in modern Shaanxi, flowing into the Yellow River. / Same as 「已(7.3)」 yǐ ㄧˇ: Adverb: extremely. | v2,p1359#09 | p.715#20 | p.878r1c06 |
| yáo ㄧㄠˊ | Tremble, shake. | ||||||
| yōu ㄧㄡ | Good, superior. | ||||||
| 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. | ||||||
| 能 | 肉+6 | néng ㄋㄥˊ | A type of bear. / Ability, talent. / Man of ability, man of talent. / Able to, competent. / Comply with, be friendly towards. / Encompass, obtain. / To, arrive at. / Then, thus. / Same as 「而(4.3)」 ér ㄦˊ: Connective: if, supposing. / Only, merely. / Even if. / Thus, in this way. / Three-legged turtle. | v3,p2074#01 | p.981#16 | p.1095r5c02 | |
| nài ㄋㄞˋ | Withstand, endure. | ||||||
| tái ㄊㄞˊ | Same as 「台(1.1)」 tái ㄊㄞˊ: Name of a celestial body. | ||||||
| tài ㄊㄞˋ | State, form. | ||||||
| 取 | 又+6 | qǔ ㄑㄩˇ | Cut off (the ears). / Catch, capture. / Take, exact. / Gain, take possession of. / Incur. / Achieve an easy victory. / Defeat in battle, conquer. / Extract from, come out of. / Take, choose, pick out. / Select, appoint. / Take a wife. / Adverb: expresses range, scope: merely. | v1,p0395#01 | p.166#04 | p.236r3c01 | |
| 用 | 用+0 | 𤰆 𠛁 | yòng ㄩㄥˋ | use, employ, apply, operate; use | v1,p0097#05 | p.755#24 | p.908r6c02 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 今 | 人+2 | jīn ㄐㄧㄣ | now, today, modern era | v1,p0105#05 | p.91#18 | p.83r5c02 | |
| 復 | 彳+9 | 覆 𢕛 𠣸 复 | fù fòu ㄈㄨˋ ㄈㄡˋ | return; repeat; repeatedly | v2,p0834#02 | p.369#22 | p.516r2c04 |
| 三 | 一+2 | 叁 弎 | sān sàn ㄙㄢ ㄙㄢˋ | three | v1,p0004#03 | p.76#05 | p.11r2c01 |
| 三晉 | 一+2 日+6 | 叁 弎 晋 𣈆 | sān jìn ㄙㄢ ㄐㄧㄣˋ | 戰國時期的趙國、魏國、韓國三國的合稱。 Collective term for the three states of Zhao, Wei, and Han which replaced the state of Jin. | v1,p0004#03 v2,p1507#03 | p.76#05 p.494#31 | p.11r2c01 p.640r3c02 |
| 可 | 口+2 | 歌 厥 | kě kè ㄎㄜˇ ㄎㄜˋ | may, can, -able; possibly | v1,p0567#07 | p.172#12 | p.244r1c02 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 「誹(2)」 fěi ㄈㄟˇ: Slander. | ||||||
| 賢 | 貝+8 | 臤 贒 贤 | xián ㄒㄧㄢˊ | virtuous, worthy, good; able | v6,p3646#06 | p.1209#28 | p.1276r5c02 |
| 力 | 力+0 | 力 𠠲 | lì ㄌㄧˋ | power, capability, influence | v1,p0364#04 | p.146#05 | p.191r4c03 |
| 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 |
| 乎 | 丿+4 | 虖 | hū ㄏㄨ | (1.1) 語氣詞：表示疑問或反問，相當於「嗎」或「呢」。 Modal particle expressing questioning or a rhetorical question. | v1,p0036#08 | p.82#07 | p.47r3c03 |
| 則 | 刀+7 | 𠟻 𠟭 𠞋 𠟔 则 | zé ㄗㄜˊ | (5.1) 連詞：表示承接關係，相當於「就」、「便」、「那麽」。 Connective expressing continuation: then, and then. | v1,p0340#06 | p.139#31 | p.183r5c05 |
| 別 | 刀+5 | 𠔁 别 | bié ㄅㄧㄝˊ | separate, other; do not | v1,p0328#13 | p.138#12 | p.179r4c01 |
| 說 | 言+7 | 説 说 | shuō ㄕㄨㄛ | Explain. / Tell. / Advocate. / Oath. / A type of writing expounding upon a canon. | v6,p3979#03 | p.1164#08 | p.1246r4c02 |
| shuì ㄕㄨㄟˋ | Recommend, persuade. / Stop. | ||||||
| yuè ㄩㄝˋ | Same as 「悅(1)」 yuè ㄩㄝˋ: Happy, pleased, like. / To please. | ||||||
| 聽 | 耳+16 | 𦕢 听 | tīng tìng ㄊㄧㄥ ㄊㄧㄥˋ | hear, listen; understand; obey | v4,p2799#14 | p.970#24 | p.1087r1c02 |
| 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 |
| 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. |
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