Chinese Text Project |
今先聖人為書,而傳之後世, | Now the former sages made writings and transmitted them to later generations, |
必師受之, | and it is necessary to accept these as authoritative, |
乃知所謂之名; | so that one may know what is conveyed by established terminology. |
不師受之, | Should they not be accepted as authoritative |
而人以其心意議之, | and should people discuss them according to ideas of their own mind, |
至死不能知其名與其意。 | then until their death they will not succeed in understanding the terminology and its meaning. |
故聖人必為法令置官也,置吏也,為天下師, | Therefore did the sages set up officers and officials for the laws and mandates, who should be authoritative in the empire, |
所以定名分也。 | in order to define everyone's rights and duties, |
名分定, | so that these being definite, |
則大詐貞信, | the very crafty would become faithful and trustworthy, |
民皆愿愨, | and the people would all become honest and guileless, |
而各自治也。 | each one restraining himself. |
故夫名分定, | For indeed, the defining of everybody's rights and duties |
勢治之道也; | is the road that leads to orderly government, |
名分不定, | but the not defining of everybody's rights and duties |
勢亂之道也。 | is the road that leads to disorder. |
故勢治者不可亂,勢亂者不可治。 | So where there is a tendency towards order, there cannot be disorder, and where there is a tendency towards disorder, there cannot be order. |
夫勢亂而治之愈亂, | Indeed, where there is a tendency towards disorder and one governs it, the disorder will only increase, |
勢治而治之則治。 | but where there is a tendency towards order and one governs it, there will be order. |
故聖王治治不治亂。 | Therefore, the sage kings governed order and did not govern disorder. |
Character | Composition | Variants | Reading | Meaning | Hanyu | Kangxi | Cihai |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
今 | 人+2 | jīn ㄐㄧㄣ | now, today, modern era | v1,p0105#05 | p.91#18 | p.83r5c02 | |
先 | 儿+4 | xiān ㄒㄧㄢ | first, former, previous | v1,p0267#02 | p.124#05 | p.134r3c02 | |
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 |
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. | ||||||
書 | 曰+6 | 书 | shū ㄕㄨ | book, letter, document; writings | v2,p1509#09 | p.502#12 | p.650r3c02 |
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. | ||||||
傳 | 人+11 | 传 | chuán zhuàn ㄔㄨㄢˊ ㄓㄨㄢˋ | summon; propagate, transmit | v1,p0208#09 | p.114#23 | p.122r2c01 |
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 |
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 |
世 | 一+4 | 丗 卋 | shì ㄕˋ | generation; world; era | v1,p0014#06 | p.77#11 | p.35r1c02 |
必 | 心+1 | bì ㄅㄧˋ | surely, most certainly; must | v4,p2267#02 | p.375#02 | p.522r5c01 | |
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 |
受 | 又+6 | 𠭧 | shòu ㄕㄡˋ | receive, accept, get; bear, stand | v1,p0396#02 | p.166#05 | p.236r5c01 |
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 |
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. | ||||||
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 |
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. | ||||||
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 | 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. | ||||||
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 |
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 |
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. | ||||||
心 | 心+0 | 㣺 忄 | xīn ㄒㄧㄣ | heart; mind, intelligence; soul | v4,p2267#01 | p.375#01 | p.521r1c01 |
意 | 心+9 | yì ㄧˋ | thought, idea, opinion; think | v4,p2323#03 | p.394#22 | p.537r1c05 | |
議 | 言+13 | 议 | yì ㄧˋ | consult, talk over, discuss | v6,p4026#01 | p.1183#24 | p.1256r3c02 |
至 | 至+0 | 𦤳 𦤴 𦤵 𡊏 | zhì dié ㄓˋ ㄉㄧㄝˊ | reach, arrive; extremely, very | v4,p2814#01 | p.1001#11 | p.1111r3c04 |
死 | 歹+2 | 𠑾 𣥴 | sǐ ㄙˇ | die; dead; death | v2,p1380#06 | p.578#22 | p.740r6c06 |
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. | ||||||
與 | 臼+8 | 与 𢌱 𦦲 𠔔 | yǔ ㄩˇ | Give. / Follow, go along with. / Comrade, ally. / Association, contact. / Oppose. / Engage [an enemy]. / Approve, consent to. / Help. / Wait. / Preposition indicating passive tense. / Preposition: to, with. / Preposition: with. / Preposition: as. / Preposition: in, on. / Connective: and, with. / Connective: with its ... / Connective: or. | v1,p0251#04 | p.1004#13 | p.1113r2c03 |
yù ㄩˋ | Participate, take part in. | ||||||
yǔ ㄩˇ | Interfere in. | ||||||
yú ㄩˊ | Auxiliary word: used at the end of a sentence to express questioning , exclamation, or a rhetorical question. / Auxiliary word: used in the middle of a sentence to express a pause. | ||||||
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 | |
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 |
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] | ||||||
置 | 网+8 | 寘 𦌃 𦌤 𦋽 𦋲 | zhì ㄓˋ | Release, pardon. / Give up, abandon. / Place, put. / Establish, put in place. / Buy, purchase. / A post, a stage. / Coach, carriage. | v4,p2919#02 | p.948#20 | p.1065r3c01 |
官 | 宀+5 | 𠕍 | guān ㄍㄨㄢ | official, public servant | v2,p0921#04 | p.283#15 | p.413r2c01 |
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 |
吏 | 口+3 | 吏 | lì ㄌㄧˋ | government official, magistrate | v1,p0018#03 | p.176#02 | p.255r5c01 |
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 |
定 | 宀+5 | 㱏 | dìng ㄉㄧㄥˋ | decide, settle, fix | v2,p0918#02 | p.283#18 | p.414r5c01 |
分 | 刀+2 | 份 | fēn ㄈㄣ | Separate, split. / Distribute, divide among. / Distinguish, tell apart. / Difference. / Clear, evident. / Share. / Half. / Gist, general point. / Equinox (in the Chinese unisolar calendar). / Measure word: unit of length equivalent to a tenth of one cun. / Measure word: unit of area equivalent to a tenth of one mu. / Measure word: unit of weight equivalent to a tenth of one qian. | v1,p0321#03 | p.136#04 | p.174r1c04 |
fèn ㄈㄣˋ | Rank, position occupied. / Work, office. / Guess, speculate. / Happy, content. | ||||||
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 |
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. | ||||||
詐 | 言+5 | 醡 诈 | zhà ㄓㄚˋ | cheat, defraud, swindle; trick; to feign | v6,p3954#11 | p.1154#20 | p.1241r2c01 |
貞 | 貝+2 | 𠨀 贞 | zhēn ㄓㄣ | virtuous, chaste, pure; loyal | v6,p3622#03 | p.1204#03 | p.1268r3c01 |
信 | 人+7 | 伩 㐰 䚱 | xìn ㄒㄧㄣˋ | True, words fitting the truth. / As expected. / Really, actually. / Trust, trustworthy. / Reliable, orderly. / Believe, have confidence in. / Clarify, determine. / Clear, clear-cut. / Certificate, (object of) proof. / Sealed letter, written proof. / Envoy, messenger. / Freely, as one wishes. / Stay for two nights in succession. | v1,p0165#01 | p.105#25 | p.109r2c01 |
shēn ㄕㄣ | Straight, linear. / Uphold, promote. | ||||||
民 | 氏+1 | 𠘽 | mín ㄇㄧㄣˊ | people, subjects, citizens | v3,p2131#01 | p.598#01 | p.750r3c01 |
皆 | 白+4 | jiē ㄐㄧㄝ | all, every, everybody | v4,p2647#01 | p.786#12 | p.735r5c01 | |
愿 | 心+10 | 願 | yuàn ㄩㄢˋ | sincere, honest, virtuous | v4,p2333#10 | p.397#06 | p.540r5c02 |
愨 | 心+10 | 慤 悫 | què ㄑㄩㄝˋ | sincerity, honesty; cautious | v4,p2333#03 | p.396#09 | p.540r2c06 |
各 | 口+3 | gè ㄍㄜˋ | each, individually, every, all | v1,p0583#01 | p.174#18 | p.248r6c03 | |
自 | 自+0 | 𦣹 鼻 | zì ㄗˋ | Oneself. / Begin, beginning. / From. / Originally. / Natural, naturally. / Supposing, if. / Even, even if. | v5,p3046#01 | p.1000#07 | p.1108r3c01 |
治 | 水+5 | 乿 | zhì ㄓˋ | Rule, administer. / Well ruled, peaceful and orderly. / Punish, execute. / Cure, treat (an illness). / Prepare. / Construct. / Research, study. | v3,p1599#06 | p.614#07 | p.776r5c02 |
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. | ||||||
勢 | 力+11 | 势 | shì ㄕˋ | power, force; tendency | v1,p0377#03 | p.149#04 | p.199r2c03 |
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. | ||||||
亂 | 乙+12 | 𠧎 𠧏 𠮗 乱 | luàn ㄌㄨㄢˋ | Chaos, disorder. / Confusion, confused state of mind. / Turmoil, unrest, revolt. / Rebellion, uprising. / Disturb, corrupt. / Lecherous, wicked. / Confuse, mix up. / Rule, administer. / Traverse, cross. / Reach, pass. / Last section of a piece of music. / Last words of a piece of writing. / Complete, finish. | v1,p0057#10 | p.84#33 | p.57r5c01 |
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. | ||||||
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 |
愈 | 心+9 | 癒 愉 瘉 | yù ㄩˋ | more and more, even more | v4,p2322#15 | p.394#03 | p.536r6c03 |
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 |
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