| Chinese Text Project |
| 句踐也以甲楯三千，棲於會稽。 | Gou-jian took his station on (the hill of) Gui-ji with 3,000 men with their buff-coats and shields: |
| 唯種也能知亡之所以存， | (his minister) Zhong knew how the ruined (Yue) might still be preserved, |
| 唯種也不知身之所以愁。 | but the same man did not know the sad fate in store for himself. |
| 故曰： | Hence it is said, |
| 鴟目有所適， | 'The eye of the owl has its proper fitness; |
| 鶴脛有所節， | the leg of the crane has its proper limit, |
| 解之也悲。 | and to cut off any of it would distress (the bird).' |
| 故曰： | Hence (also) it is (further) said, |
| 風之過河也有損焉， | 'When the wind passes over it, the volume of the river is diminished, |
| 日之過河也有損焉。 | and so it is when the sun passes over it. |
| 請只風與日相與守河， | But let the wind and sun keep a watch together on the river, |
| 而河以為未始其攖也， | and it will not begin to feel that they are doing it any injury: |
| 恃源而往者也。 | it relies on its springs and flows on.' |
| 故水之守土也審， | Thus, water does its part to the ground with undeviating exactness; |
| 影之守人也審， | and so does the shadow to the substance; |
| 物之守物也審。 | and one thing to another. |
| Character | Composition | Variants | Reading | Meaning | Hanyu | Kangxi | Cihai |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 句踐 | 口+2 足+8 | 句 践 | gōu jiàn ㄍㄡ ㄐㄧㄢˋ | Same as 「越王勾踐」 yuè wáng gōu jiàn ㄩㄝˋ ㄨㄤˊ ㄍㄡ ㄐㄧㄢˋ: 姓名：勾踐，在位前496-前494以及前491-前464。 King Gou Jian of Yue (ruled 496 BC-494 BC, 491 BC-464 BC)  | v1,p0571#03 v6,p3714#06 | p.171#11 p.1227#17 | p.242r4c01 p.1291r4c01 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 甲 | 田+0 | 𠇚 𡴌 | jiǎ ㄐㄧㄚˇ | armor, shell; fingernails; 1st heavenly stem | v4,p2525#01 | p.758#01 | p.910r3c01 |
| 楯 | 木+9 | shǔn ㄕㄨㄣˇ | shield; horizontal bar | v2,p1252#04 | p.541#10 | p.710r4c01 | |
| 三 | 一+2 | 叁 弎 | sān sàn ㄙㄢ ㄙㄢˋ | three | v1,p0004#03 | p.76#05 | p.11r2c01 |
| 千 | 十+1 | 仟 | qiān ㄑㄧㄢ | thousand; many, numerous; very; (Cant.) a cheater, swindler | v1,p0059#01 | p.155#19 | p.212r5c01 |
| 棲 | 木+8 | 栖 | qī xī ㄑㄧ ㄒㄧ | perch; roost; stay | v2,p1229#06 | p.534#17 | p.704r4c02 |
| 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 |
| 會稽 | 曰+9 禾+10 | 𣌭 㞧 𠃐 㣛 𣥈 会 乩 𩠜 | kuài jī ㄎㄨㄞˋ ㄐㄧ | [地名] [Name of a place] | v2,p1524#05 v4,p2622#08 | p.503#08 p.858#01 | p.654r3c02 p.994r5c03 |
| 唯 | 口+8 | wéi ㄨㄟˊ | Only, exclusively. / Connective: although, even though. / Connective: because. / Particle used at the beginning of a sentence to express hope or desire. / Particle used at the beginning of a sentence to express confirmation. / Particle, no meaning. | v1,p0642#05 | p.193#17 | p.277r1c02 | |
| wěi ㄨㄟˇ | Sound of affirmation. / Affirm. | ||||||
| 種 | 禾+9 | 𥢖 𥡰 种 | zhǒng zhòng chóng ㄓㄨㄥˇ ㄓㄨㄥˋ ㄔㄨㄥˊ | seed; race; offspring; to plant | v4,p2617#17 | p.856#16 | p.993r6c07 |
| 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. | ||||||
| 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. | ||||||
| 亡 | 亠+1 | 亾 兦 | wáng wú ㄨㄤˊ ㄨˊ | death, destroyed; lose, perish | v1,p0279#05 | p.88#03 | p.75r6c04 |
| 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 |
| 存 | 子+3 | 𠩯 | cún ㄘㄨㄣˊ | exist, live, be; survive; remain | v2,p1009#07 | p.278#02 | p.398r3c01 |
| 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 |
| 身 | 身+0 | shēn ㄕㄣ | Pregnant. / The body (of a person or animal). / Itself. / I, myself. / Personally, directly. / Personally experience or carry out. / Life. / One's own moral character, ability, etc. / A world in buddhist doctrine. | v6,p3807#01 | p.1237#01 | p.1295r6c01 | |
| yuān ㄩㄢ | Same as 「身毒」 yuān dú ㄩㄢ ㄉㄨˊ: India. | ||||||
| 愁 | 心+9 | chóu ㄔㄡˊ | anxiety; to worry about, be anxious | v4,p2322#08 | p.393#21 | p.536r5c06 | |
| 故 | 攴+5 | gù ㄍㄨˋ | (8) 連詞：所以，因此。 Hence, thus. | v2,p1453#05 | p.469#25 | p.601r5c01 | |
| 曰 | 曰+0 | yuē ㄩㄝ | Say, speak. / Call, name. / Particle. | v2,p1482#02 | p.502#01 | p.648r3c03 | |
| 鴟 | 鳥+5 | 鸱 | chī zhī ㄔ ㄓ | kite, horned owl; wine cups | v7,p4625#01 | p.1486#10 | p.1537r2c01 |
| 目 | 目+0 | 𡇡 𥃦 𥆤 | mù ㄇㄨˋ | eye; look, see; division, topic | v4,p2467#01 | p.798#25 | p.943r2c02 |
| 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. | ||||||
| 適 | 辵+11 | 适 | shì ㄕˋ | Go to. / Be married off. / Suitable. / Alter to make suitable. / Satisfied. / Luckily, fortuitously. / Just, recently. / By chance. / Connective: by supposing. | v6,p3877#08 | p.1263#34 | p.1330r4c01 |
| dí ㄉㄧˊ | Official wife. / Son of ones official wife. / Center on, focus on. / Well matched, equal. | ||||||
| zhé ㄓㄜˊ | Condemn, punish. | ||||||
| tì ㄊㄧˋ | Scared, afraid. | ||||||
| 鶴 | 鳥+10 | 鹤 | hè ㄏㄜˋ | crane; Grus species (various) | v7,p4654#03 | p.1496#20 | p.1542r5c03 |
| 脛 | 肉+7 | 胫 | jìng kēng ㄐㄧㄥˋ ㄎㄥ | shinbone; calf of leg | v3,p2077#09 | p.983#02 | p.1097r3c08 |
| 節 | 竹+7 | 罇 卩 节 | jié jiē ㄐㄧㄝˊ ㄐㄧㄝ | knot, node, joint; section | v5,p2976#04 | p.891#24 | p.1018r1c03 |
| 解 | 角+6 | 觧 | jiě jiè xiè ㄐㄧㄝˇ ㄐㄧㄝˋ ㄒㄧㄝˋ | loosen, unfasten, untie; explain | v6,p3925#10 | p.1142#01 | p.1234r3c02 |
| 悲 | 心+8 | bēi ㄅㄟ | sorrow, grief; sorry, sad | v4,p2310#04 | p.388#37 | p.533r1c03 | |
| 風 | 風+0 | 𠙊 𠙈 凬 飌 檒 风 | fēng fěng fèng ㄈㄥ ㄈㄥˇ ㄈㄥˋ | wind; air; manners, atmosphere | v7,p4480#01 | p.1411#01 | p.1483r6c02 |
| 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. | ||||||
| 河 | 水+5 | hé ㄏㄜˊ | river; stream; yellow river | v3,p1582#03 | p.613#09 | p.774r2c02 | |
| 損 | 手+10 | 扻 损 | sǔn ㄙㄨㄣˇ | diminish; impair; injure | v3,p1931#10 | p.446#06 | p.587r1c02 |
| 焉 | 火+7 | yān ㄧㄢ | Same as 「之(2)」 zhī ㄓ: Demonstrative pronoun: this, these. / Same as 「之(3)」 zhī ㄓ: Third person pronoun: him, her, it. / Demonstrative pronoun and modal particle: than this. / Interrogative pronoun: how, where. / Interrogative pronoun: what. / Connective: and, then. / Preposition: in. / Modal particle. / Adjectival or adverbal suffix. | v3,p2206#14 | p.672#21 | p.847r5c01 | |
| 日 | 日+0 | 𡆸 | rì mì ㄖˋ ㄇㄧˋ | sun; day; daytime | v2,p1482#01 | p.489#01 | p.627r1c01 |
| 請 | 言+8 | 请 | qǐng ㄑㄧㄥˇ | Request, ask for. / Respectful term used to make a request. / Visit (a superior). / Ask, inquire. / Ask after (someone). / Tell, say to. / Invite. / Employ, hire. | v6,p3981#03 | p.1167#18 | p.1248r6c02 |
| qìng ㄑㄧㄥˋ | Autumn audience. | ||||||
| qíng ㄑㄧㄥˊ | Reality, actual state of affairs. / In reality, actually. | ||||||
| 只 | 口+2 | 止 子 衹 隻 | zhǐ zhī ㄓˇ ㄓ | only, just, simply | v1,p0570#03 | p.172#05 | p.243r4c01 |
| 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. | ||||||
| 相 | 目+4 | xiāng ㄒㄧㄤ | Mutual. / In succession. / Together. | v4,p2470#13 | p.800#18 | p.945r1c01 | |
| xiàng ㄒㄧㄤˋ | Watch. / Appearance. / Fortune-telling by appearance. / Help, assist. / Guide for the blind. / Prime minister, most senior minister. / Ceremonial officer. | ||||||
| 守 | 宀+3 | 𡬮 𡬴 | shǒu shòu ㄕㄡˇ ㄕㄡˋ | defend, protect, guard, conserve | v2,p0912#03 | p.282#05 | p.405r4c01 |
| 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. | ||||||
| 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. | ||||||
| 未 | 木+1 | wèi ㄨㄟˋ | not yet; 8th terrestrial branch | v2,p1150#01 | p.509#05 | p.665r4c01 | |
| 始 | 女+5 | 𠃭 乨 兘 𠙉 | shǐ ㄕˇ | begin, start; then, only then | v2,p1041#12 | p.258#16 | p.381r1c02 |
| 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. | ||||||
| 攖 | 手+17 | 撄 | yīng ㄧㄥ | oppose, offend, run counter to | v3,p1984#13 | p.463#08 | p.597r2c06 |
| 恃 | 心+6 | shì ㄕˋ | rely on, presume on, trust to | v4,p2293#15 | p.383#19 | p.528r5c01 | |
| 源 | 水+10 | 厵 | yuán ㄩㄢˊ | spring; source, head; surname | v3,p1697#02 | p.639#16 | p.817r4c06 |
| 往 | 彳+5 | 徃 𢔎 𨓹 | wǎng wàng ㄨㄤˇ ㄨㄤˋ | go, depart; past, formerly | v2,p0817#06 | p.365#32 | p.509r6c03 |
| 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. | ||||||
| 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 | |
| 水 | 水+0 | 氵 | shuǐ ㄕㄨㄟˇ | water, liquid, lotion, juice | v3,p1545#01 | p.603#01 | p.757r1c01 |
| 土 | 土+0 | tǔ ㄊㄨˇ | soil, earth; items made of earth | v1,p0415#01 | p.223#01 | p.309r5c03 | |
| 審 | 宀+12 | 宷 审 | shěn ㄕㄣˇ | Detailed, thorough. / Investigate thoroughly, research. / Interrogation, trial. / Clear, unambiguous. / Cautious, prudent, take seriously. / True, reliable. | v2,p0954#05 | p.291#22 | p.429r6c03 |
| pán ㄆㄢˊ | Place where water swirls about. | ||||||
| 影 | 彡+12 | yǐng ㄧㄥˇ | shadow; image, reflection; photograph | v2,p0857#04 | p.364#19 | p.509r2c01 | |
| 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 |
| 物 | 牛+4 | wù ㄨˋ | thing, substance, creature | v3,p1805#03 | p.699#09 | p.869r5c01 |
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