| Chinese Text Project |
| (The attribute of humility) | |
| 大國者下流， | What makes a great state is its being (like) a low-lying, down- flowing (stream); |
| 天下之交， | - it becomes the centre to which tend (all the small states) under heaven. |
| 天下之牝。 | (To illustrate from) the case of all females: |
| 牝常以靜勝牡， | - the female always overcomes the male by her stillness. |
| 以靜為下。 | Stillness may be considered (a sort of) abasement. |
| 故大國以下小國， | Thus it is that a great state, by condescending to small states, |
| 則取小國； | gains them for itself; |
| 小國以下大國， | and that small states, by abasing themselves to a great state, |
| 則取大國。 | win it over to them. |
| 故或下以取， | In the one case the abasement leads to gaining adherents, |
| 或下而取。 | in the other case to procuring favour. |
| 大國不過欲兼畜人， | The great state only wishes to unite men together and nourish them; |
| 小國不過欲入事人。 | a small state only wishes to be received by, and to serve, the other. |
| 夫兩者各得其所欲， | Each gets what it desires, |
| 大者宜為下。 | but the great state must learn to abase itself. |
| Character | Composition | Variants | Reading | Meaning | Hanyu | Kangxi | Cihai |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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. | ||||||
| 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 |
| 者 | 老+4 | zhuó ㄓㄨㄛˊ | (3) 通「著」：居、處於。 In, located in. | v4,p2780#05 | p.961#01 | p.1080r1c01 | |
| 下 | 一+2 | 丅 厥 𠄟 | xià ㄒㄧㄚˋ | under, underneath, below; down; inferior; bring down | v1,p0007#01 | p.76#10 | p.28r1c01 |
| 流 | 水+6 | 流 㳅 | liú ㄌㄧㄡˊ | flow, circulate, drift; class | v3,p1631#12 | p.623#04 | p.791r1c02 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 交 | 亠+4 | 䢒 | jiāo ㄐㄧㄠ | mix; intersect; exchange, communicate; deliver | v1,p0282#01 | p.88#06 | p.76r3c01 |
| 牝 | 牛+2 | 𠤎 | pìn ㄆㄧㄣˋ | female of species; deep gorge | v3,p1800#04 | p.697#02 | p.868r3c01 |
| 常 | 巾+8 | cháng ㄔㄤˊ | common, normal, frequent, regular | v1,p0744#01 | p.333#12 | p.477r2c01 | |
| 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 |
| 靜 | 靑+8 | 㣏 静 | jìng ㄐㄧㄥˋ | quiet, still, motionless; gentle | v6,p4049#01 | p.1382#03 | p.1463r3c02 |
| 勝 | 力+10 | 𠢧 𠅫 𢾶 胜 | shèng shēng ㄕㄥˋ ㄕㄥ | victory; excel, be better than | v3,p2090#13 | p.148#31 | p.197r6c02 |
| 牡 | 牛+3 | mǔ ㄇㄨˇ | male of animals; bolt of door | v3,p1801#02 | p.697#11 | p.868r5c02 | |
| 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. | ||||||
| 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 | |
| 小 | 小+0 | xiǎo ㄒㄧㄠˇ | Small. / Make small. / View as small. / Thin. / Insufficient. / Short (time), fleeting. / Young. / Slightly, somewhat. / Low level. / A person of low rank. / A person of bad moral character. / Humble term for oneself. | v1,p0560#12 | p.296#18 | p.438r2c01 | |
| 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 |
| 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 | |
| 或 | 戈+4 | 𢈿 | huò ㄏㄨㄛˋ | Pronoun: some, someone, something. / Have. / Sometimes. / Again. / Either, perhaps. / Expressive particle. / Confuse, be at a loss. | v2,p1402#08 | p.412#18 | p.552r5c01 |
| 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. | ||||||
| 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. | ||||||
| 過 | 辵+9 | 过 𨓺 | guò ㄍㄨㄛˋ | Pass by, go by. / Exceed, go beyond. / Too much, excess. / Mistake, make a mistake. / Crime, commit a crime. / Lose. / Visit. | v6,p3849#08 | p.1261#22 | p.1325r2c01 |
| guō ㄍㄨㄛ | Name of a state in pre-Qin China. | ||||||
| 欲 | 欠+7 | 慾 | yù ㄩˋ | desire, want, long for; intend | v3,p2140#07 | p.567#36 | p.729r4c02 |
| 兼 | 八+8 | 𥡝 | jiān ㄐㄧㄢ | unite, combine; connect; and | v1,p0249#08 | p.128#11 | p.162r6c02 |
| 畜 | 田+5 | 嘼 𠬀 | chù ㄔㄨˋ | Domestic animals. | v4,p2538#04 | p.761#12 | p.913r3c03 |
| xù ㄒㄩˋ | Raise (livestock). / Raise, look after (a family). / Cultivate. / Contain, accommodate. / Love. | ||||||
| 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 |
| 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 | |
| 事 | 亅+7 | 亊 叓 𠭏 | shì ㄕˋ | Office, duty. / Job, career. / Things, affairs. / Accident, incident. / Engage (in), pursue. / Serve. | v1,p0023#03 | p.85#24 | p.58r3c02 |
| 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. | ||||||
| 兩 | 入+6 | 両 㒳 两 | liǎng liàng ㄌㄧㄤˇ ㄌㄧㄤˋ | two, both, pair, couple; ounce | v1,p0024#02 | p.126#13 | p.145r6c02 |
| 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. | ||||||
| 各 | 口+3 | gè ㄍㄜˋ | each, individually, every, all | v1,p0583#01 | p.174#18 | p.248r6c03 | |
| 得 | 彳+8 | 𢔶 䙷 𢔨 | dé ㄉㄜˊ | Get, obtain. / Plunder. / Covet. / Success. / Fitting, appropriate. / Compatible. / Satisfied, pleased. / Possible, can. / Same as 「德(1)」 dé ㄉㄜˊ: Morals, morality. / Same as 「德(3)」 dé ㄉㄜˊ: Reward kindness, thank. | v2,p0828#03 | p.367#31 | p.513r6c02 |
| 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. | ||||||
| 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 |
| 宜 | 宀+5 | 冝 𡪀 𡨆 𠣨 宐 | yí ㄧˊ | suitable, right, fitting, proper | v2,p0920#06 | p.284#03 | p.416r1c01 |
| Enjoy this site? Please help. | Site design and content copyright 2006-2024. When quoting or citing information from this site, please link to the corresponding page or to https://ctext.org. Please note that the use of automatic download software on this site is strictly prohibited, and that users of such software are automatically banned without warning to save bandwidth. 沪ICP备09015720号-3 | Comments? Suggestions? Please raise them here. |