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Simplified Chinese version
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-> -> Three Character Classic

《三字经 - Three Character Classic》

English translation: Herbert Giles [?]
Source
1 三字经:
人之初,性本善。性相近,习相远。
Three Character Classic:...:
Men at their birth
are naturally good.
Their natures are much the same;
their habits become widely different.

2 三字经:
苟不教,性乃迁。教之道,贵以专。
Three Character Classic:...:
If foolishly there is no teaching,
the nature will deteriorate.
The right way in teaching
is to attach the utmost importance in thoroughness.

3 三字经:
昔孟母,择邻处。子不学,断机杼。
Three Character Classic:...:
Of old, the mother of Mencius
chose a neighbourhood;
and when her child would not learn,
she broke the shuttle from the loom.

4 三字经:
窦燕山,有义方。教五子,名俱扬。
Three Character Classic:...:
Dou of the Swallow Hills
had the right method.
He taught five sons,
each of whom raised the family reputation.

5 三字经:
养不教,父之过。教不严,师之惰。
Three Character Classic:...:
To feed without teaching
is the father's fault.
To teach without severity
is the teacher's laziness.

6 三字经:
子不学,非所宜。幼不学,老何为。
Three Character Classic:...:
If the child does not learn,
this is not as it should be.
If he does not learn while young,
what will he be when old?

7 三字经:
玉不琢,不成器。人不学,不知义。
Three Character Classic:...:
If jade is not polished,
it cannot become a thing of use.
If a man does not learn,
he cannot know his duty towards his neighbour.

8 三字经:
为人子,方少时。亲师友,习礼仪。
Three Character Classic:...:
He who is the son of a man,
when he is young
should attach himself to his teachers and friends,
and practise ceremonial usages.

9 三字经:
香九龄,能温席。孝于亲,所当执。
Three Character Classic:...:
Xiang, at nine years of age,
could warm (his parents') bed.
Filial piety towards parents,
is that to which we should hold fast.

10 三字经:
融四岁,能让梨。弟于长,宜先知。
Three Character Classic:...:
Rong, at four years of age,
could yield the (bigger) pears.
To behave as a younger brother towards elders,
is one of the first things to know.

11 三字经:
首孝弟,次见闻。知某数,识某文。
Three Character Classic:...:
Begin with filial piety and fraternal love,
and then see and hear.
Learn to count,
and learn to read.

12 三字经:
一而十,十而百。百而千,千而万。
Three Character Classic:...:
Units and tens,
tens and hundreds,
hundreds and thousands,
thousands and tens of thousands.

13 三字经:
三才者,天地人。三光者,日月星。
Three Character Classic:...:
The Three Forces
are Heaven, Earth and Man.
The Three Luminaries
are the sun, the moon and the stars.

14 三字经:
三纲者,君臣义。父子亲,夫妇顺。
Three Character Classic:...:
The Three Bonds
are the obligation between sovereign and subject,
the love between father and child,
the harmony between husband and wife.

15 三字经:
曰春夏,曰秋冬。此四时,运不穷。
Three Character Classic:...:
We speak of spring and summer,
we speak of autumn and winter.
These four seasons
revolve without ceasing.

16 三字经:
曰南北,曰西东。此四方,应乎中。
Three Character Classic:...:
We speak of North and South,
we speak of East and West,
These four points
respond to the requirements of the centre.

17 三字经:
曰水火,木金土。此五行,本乎数。
Three Character Classic:...:
We speak of water, fire,
wood, metal and earth.
These five elements
have their origin in number.

18 三字经:
曰仁义,礼智信。此五常,不容紊。
Three Character Classic:...:
We speak of charity of heart and of duty towards one's neighbour,
of propriety, of wisdom, and of truth.
These five virtues
admit of no compromise.

19 三字经:
稻粱菽,麦黍稷。此六谷,人所食。
Three Character Classic:...:
Rice, spiked millet, pulse,
wheat, glutinous millet and common millet.
These six grains
are those which men eat.

20 三字经:
马牛羊,鸡犬豕。此六畜,人所饲。
Three Character Classic:...:
The horse, the ox, the sheep,
the fowl, the dog, the pig.
These six animals,
are those which men keep.

21 三字经:
曰喜怒,曰哀惧。爱恶欲,七情具。
Three Character Classic:...:
We speak of joy, of anger,
we speak of pity, of fear,
of love, of hate, and of desire.
These are the seven passions.

22 三字经:
匏土革,木石金。与丝竹,乃八音。
Three Character Classic:...:
The gourd, earthenware, skin,
wood, stone, metal,
silk, and bamboo,
yield the eight musical sounds.

23 三字经:
高曾祖,父而身。身而子,子而孙。自子孙,至玄1曾。乃九族,人之伦。
Three Character Classic:...:
Great great grandfather, great grandfather, grandfather,
father and self,
self and son,
son and grandson,
from son and grandson
on to great grandson and great great grandson.
These are the nine agnates,
constituting the kinships of man.

1. 玄 : Originally read: "元". 避讳。

24 三字经:
父子恩,夫妇从。兄则友,弟则恭。长幼序,友与朋。君则敬,臣则忠。此十义,人所同。
Three Character Classic:...:
Affection between father and child,
harmony between husband and wife,
friendliness on the part of elder brothers,
respectfulness on the part of younger brothers,
precedence between elders and youngers,
as between friend and friend,
respect on the part of the sovereign,
loyalty on the part of the subject.
These ten obligations,
are common to all men.

25 三字经:
凡训蒙,须讲究。详训诂,名句读。
Three Character Classic:...:
In the education of the young,
there should be explanation and elucidation,
careful teaching of the interpretations of commentators,
and due attention to paragraphs and sentences.

26 三字经:
为学者,必有初。小学终,至四书。
Three Character Classic:...:
Those who are learners,
must have a beginning.
The "little learning" finished,
they proceed to the four books.

27 三字经:
论语者,二十篇。群弟子,记善言。
Three Character Classic:...:
There is the Lun Yu,
in twenty sections.
In this, the various disciples
have recorded the wise sayings of Confucius.

28 三字经:
孟子者,七篇止。讲道德,说仁义。
Three Character Classic:...:
The works of Mencius
are comprised in seven sections.
These explain the way and the exemplification thereof,
and expound charity and duty towards one's neighbour.

29 三字经:
作中庸,子思笔。中不偏,庸不易。
Three Character Classic:...:
The Zhong Yong was written
by the pen of Zi-si;
Zhong (the middle) being that which does not lean towards any side,
Yong (the course) being that which cannot be changed.

30 三字经:
作大学,乃曾子。自修齐,至平治。
Three Character Classic:...:
He who wrote The Great Learning
was the philosopher Zeng.
Beginning with cultivation of the individual and ordering of the family,
it goes on to government of one's own State and ordering of the Empire.

31 三字经:
孝经通,四书熟。如六经,始可读。
Three Character Classic:...:
When the Classic of Filial Piety is mastered,
and the "Four books" are known by heart,
the next step is to the "Six classics",
which may now be studied.

32 三字经:
诗书易,礼春秋。号六经,当讲求。
Three Character Classic:...:
The Books of Poetry, of History and of Changes.
The Rites of the Zhou Dynasty, the Book of Rites, and the Spring and Autumn Annals,
are called the Six Classics,
which should be carefully explained and analysed.

33 三字经:
有连山,有归藏。有周易,三易详。
Three Character Classic:...:
There is the Lian Shan system,
there is the Gui Zang,
And there is the system of Changes of the Zhou Dynasty;
such are the three systems which elucidate the Changes.

34 三字经:
有典谟,有训诰。有誓命,书之奥。
Three Character Classic:...:
There are the Regulations, the Counsels,
the Instructions, the Announcements,
the Oaths, the Charges;
these are the profundities of the Book of History.

35 三字经:
我周公,作周礼。著六官,存治体。
Three Character Classic:...:
Our Duke of Zhou
drew up the Ritual of the Zhou Dynasty,
in which he set forth the duties of the six classes of officials;
and thus gave a settled form to the government.

36 三字经:
大小戴,注礼记。述圣言,礼乐备。
Three Character Classic:...:
The Elder and the Younger Dai
wrote commentaries on the Book of Rites.
They published the holy words,
and Ceremonies and Music were set in order.

37 三字经:
曰国风,曰雅颂。号四诗,当讽咏。
Three Character Classic:...:
We speak of the Guo Feng,
we speak of the Ya and the Song.
These are the four sections of the Book of poetry,
which should be hummed over and over.

38 三字经:
诗既亡,春秋作。寓褒贬,别善恶。
Three Character Classic:...:
When odes ceased to be made,
the Spring and Autumn Annals were produced.
These Annals contain praise and blame,
and distinguish the good from the bad.

39 三字经:
三传者,有公羊。有左氏,有彀梁。
Three Character Classic:...:
The three commentaries upon the above
include that of Gong-Yang,
that of Zuo
and that of Gu-Liang.

40 三字经:
经既明,方读子。撮其要,记其事。
Three Character Classic:...:
When the Classics are understood,
then the writings of the various philosophers should be read.
Pick out the important points in each,
and take a note of all facts.

41 三字经:
五子者,有荀杨。文中子,及老庄。
Three Character Classic:...:
The five chief philosophers
are Xun, Yang,
Wenzhongzi,
Laozi and Zhuangzi.

42 三字经:
经子通,读诸史。考世系,知终始。
Three Character Classic:...:
When the Classics and the Philosophers are mastered,
the various histories should be read,
and the genealogical connections should be examined,
so that the end of one dynasty and the beginning of the next may be known.

43 三字经:
自羲农,至黄帝。号三皇,居上世。
Three Character Classic:...:
From Fu Xi and Shen Nong
on to the Yellow Emperor,
these are called the Three Rulers.
who lived in the early ages.

44 三字经:
唐有虞,号二帝。相揖逊,称盛世。
Three Character Classic:...:
Tang and You-Yu
are called the two emperors.
They adbicated, one after the other,
and theirs was called the Golden Age.

45 三字经:
夏有禹,商有汤。周文王,称三王。
Three Character Classic:...:
The Xia dynasty has Yu;
the Shang dynasty has Tang;
the Zhou dynasty had Wen and Wu;
these are called the Three Kings

46 三字经:
夏传子,家天下。四百载,迁夏社。
Three Character Classic:...:
Under the Xia dynasty the throne was transmitted from father to son,
making a family possession of the empire.
After four hundred years,
the Imperial sacrifice passed from the House of Xia.

47 三字经:
汤伐夏,国号商。六百载,至纣亡。
Three Character Classic:...:
Tang the completer destroyed the Xia Dynasty,
and the dynastic title became Shang.
The line lasted for six hundred years,
ending with Zhou Xin.

48 三字经:
周武王,始诛纣。八百载,最长久。
Three Character Classic:...:
King Wu of the Zhou Dynasty
finally slew Zhou Xin.
His own line lasted for eight hundred years;
the longest dynasty of all.

49 三字经:
周辙东,王纲堕。逞干戈,尚游说。
Three Character Classic:...:
When the Zhous made tracks eastwards,
the feudal bond was slackened;
the arbitrament of spear and shields prevailed;
and peripatetic politicians were held in high esteem.

50 三字经:
始春秋,终战国。五霸强,七雄出。
Three Character Classic:...:
This period began with the Spring and Autumn Epoch,
and ended with that of the Warring States.
Next, the Five Chieftains domineered,
and the Seven Martial States came to the front.

51 三字经:
嬴秦氏,始兼并。传二世,楚汉争。
Three Character Classic:...:
Then the House of Qin, descended from the Ying clan,
finally united all the states under one sway.
The throne was transmitted to Er Shi,
upon which followed the struggle between the Chu and the Han States.

52 三字经:
高祖兴,汉业建。至孝平,王莽篡。
Three Character Classic:...:
Then Gao Zu arose,
and the House of Han was established.
When we come to the reign of Xiao Ping,
Wang Mang usurped the throne.

53 三字经:
光武兴,为东汉。四百年,终于献。
Three Character Classic:...:
Then Guang Wu arose,
and founded the Eastern Han dynasty.
It lasted four hundred years,
and ended with the Emperor Xian.

54 三字经:
魏蜀吴,争汉鼎。号三国,迄两晋。
Three Character Classic:...:
Wei, Shu and Wu,
fought for the sovereignty of the Hans.
They were called the Three Kingdoms,
and existed until the Two Jin Dynasties.

55 三字经:
宋齐继,梁陈承。为南朝,都金陵。
Three Character Classic:...:
Then followed the Song and the Qi dynasties,
and after them the Liang and Chen dynasties.
These are the Southern dynasties,
with their capital at Nanjing.

56 三字经:
北元魏,分东西。宇文周,兴高齐。
Three Character Classic:...:
The northern dynasties are the Wei dynasty of the Yuan family,
which split into Eastern and Western We,.
the Zhou dynasty of the Yuwen family,
with the Qi dynasty of the Gao family.

57 三字经:
迨至隋,一土宇。不再传,失统绪。
Three Character Classic:...:
At length, under the Sui dynasty,
the empire was united under one ruler.
The throne was not transmitted twice,
succession to power being lost.

58 三字经:
唐高祖,起义师。除隋乱,创国基。
Three Character Classic:...:
The first emperor of the Tang dynasty
raised volunteer troops.
He put an end to the disorder of the House of Sui,
and established the foundations of his line.

59 三字经:
二十传,三百载。梁灭之,国乃改。
Three Character Classic:...:
Twenty times the thrown was transmitted
in a period of three hundred years.
The Liang State destroyed it,
and the dynastic title was changed.

60 三字经:
梁唐晋,及汉周。称五代,皆有由。
Three Character Classic:...:
The Liang, the Tang, the Jin,
the Han, and the Zhou,
are called the Five Dynasties,
and there was a reason for the establishment of each.

61 三字经:
炎宋兴,受周禅。十八传,南北混。
Three Character Classic:...:
Then the fire-led house of Song arose,
and received the resignation of the house of Zhou.
Eighteen times the throne was transmitted,
and then the north and the south were reunited.

62 三字经:
十七史,全在兹。载治乱,知兴衰。
Three Character Classic:...:
The Seventeen Dynastic Histories
are all embraced in the above.
They contain examples of good and bad government,
whence may be learnt the principles of prosperity and decay.

63 三字经:
读史书,考实录。通古今,若亲目。
Three Character Classic:...:
Ye who read history
must study the State Annals,
whereby you will understand ancient and modern events,
as though having seen them with your own eyes.

64 三字经:
口而诵,心而惟。朝于斯,夕于斯。
Three Character Classic:...:
Recite them with the mouth,
and ponder over them in your hearts.
Do this in the morning;
do this in the evening.

65 三字经:
昔仲尼,师项橐。古圣贤,尚勤学。
Three Character Classic:...:
Of old, Confucius
took Xiang Tuo for his teacher.
The inspired men and sages of old
studied diligently nevertheless.

66 三字经:
赵中令,读鲁论。彼既仕,学且勤。
Three Character Classic:...:
Zhao, president of the Council,
studied the Lu text of the Lun Yu.
He, when already an official,
studied, and moreover with diligence.

67 三字经:
披蒲编,削竹简。彼无书,且知勉。
Three Character Classic:...:
One opened out rushes and plaited them together;
another scraped tablets of bamboo.
These men had no books,
but they knew how to make an effort.

68 三字经:
头悬梁,锥刺股。彼不教,自勤苦。
Three Character Classic:...:
One tied his head to the beam above him;
another pricked his thigh with an awl.
They were not taught,
but toiled hard of their own accord.

69 三字经:
如囊萤,如映雪。家虽贫,学不缀。
Three Character Classic:...:
Then we have one who put fireflies in a bag.
and again another who used the white glare from snow.
Although their families were poor,
these men studied unceasingly.

70 三字经:
如负薪,如挂角。身虽劳,犹苦卓。
Three Character Classic:...:
Again, there was one who carried fuel,
and another who used horns as pegs.
Although they toiled with their bodies,
they were nevertheless remarkable for their application.

71 三字经:
苏老泉,二十七。始发愤,读书籍。
Three Character Classic:...:
Su Lao-Quan,
at the age of twenty-seven,
at last began to show his energy
and devote himself to the study of books.

72 三字经:
彼既老,犹悔迟。尔小生,宜早思。
Three Character Classic:...:
Then when already past the age,
he deeply regretted his delay.
You little boys
should take thought betimes.

73 三字经:
若梁灏,八十二。对大廷,魁多士。
Three Character Classic:...:
Then there were Liang Hao,
who at the age of eighty-two,
made his replies in the great hall,
and came out first among many scholars.

74 三字经:
彼既成,衆称异。尔小生,宜立志。
Three Character Classic:...:
When thus late he had succeeded,
all men pronounced him a prodigy.
You little boys
should make up your minds to work.

75 三字经:
莹八岁,能咏诗。泌七岁,能赋碁。
Three Character Classic:...:
Ying, at eight years of age,
could compose poetry.
Bi, at seven years of age,
could make an epigram on wei-qi.

76 三字经:
彼颖悟,人称奇。尔幼学,当效之。
Three Character Classic:...:
These youths were quick of apprehension,
and people declared them to be prodigies.
You young learners
ought to imitate them.

77 三字经:
蔡文姬,能辨琴。谢道韫,能咏吟。
Three Character Classic:...:
Cai Wen-ji,
was able to judge from the sound of a psaltery.
Xie Dao-yun,
was able to compose verses.

78 三字经:
彼女子,且聪敏。尔男子,当自警。
Three Character Classic:...:
They were only girls,
yet they were quick and clever.
You boys
ought to rouse yourselves.

79 三字经:
唐刘晏,方七岁。举神童,作正字。
Three Character Classic:...:
Liu Yan of the Tang dynasty,
when only seven years of age,
was ranked as an "inspired child,"
and was appointed a Corrector of Texts.

80 三字经:
彼虽幼,身己仕。尔幼学,勉而致。有为者,亦若是。
Three Character Classic:...:
He, although a child,
was already in an official post.
You young learners
strive to bring about a like result.
Those who work
will also succeed as he did.

81 三字经:
犬守夜,鸡司晨。苟不学,曷为人。
Three Character Classic:...:
The dog keeps guard by night;
the cock proclaims the dawn.
If foolishly you do not study,
how can you become men?

82 三字经:
蚕吐丝,蜂酿蜜。人不学,不如物。
Three Character Classic:...:
The silkworm produces silk,
the bee makes honey.
If a man does not learn,
he is not equal to the brutes

83 三字经:
幼而学,壮而行。上致君,下泽民。
Three Character Classic:...:
Learn while young,
and when grown up apply what you have learnt;
influencing the sovereign above;
benefiting the people below.

84 三字经:
扬名声,显父母。光于前,裕于后。
Three Character Classic:...:
Make a name for yourselves,
and glorify your father and mother,
shed lustre on your ancestors,
enrich your posterity.

85 三字经:
人遗子,金满嬴。我教子,惟一经。
Three Character Classic:...:
Men bequeath to their children
coffers of gold;
I teach you children
only this one book.

86 三字经:
勤有功,戏无益。戒之哉,宜勉力。
Three Character Classic:...:
Diligence has its reward;
play has no advantages.
Oh, be on your guard,
and put forth your strength.

三字经

Herbert Giles, "San Tzu Ching - Elementary Chinese",1910

[Versions of this work]

URN: ctp:three-character-classic