| Chinese Text Project |
| 彼之謂不道之道， | In the case of those two (ministers) we have what is called 'The Way that cannot be trodden;' |
| 此之謂不言之辯。 | in (the case of Zhongni) we have what is called 'the Argument without words.' |
| 故德總乎道之所一， | Therefore when all attributes are comprehended in the unity of the Dao, |
| 而言休乎知之所不知， | and speech stops at the point to which knowledge does not reach, |
| 至矣。 | the conduct is complete. |
| 道之所一者， | But where there is (not) the unity of the Dao, |
| 德不能同也； | the attributes cannot (always) be the same, |
| 知之所不能知者， | and that which is beyond the reach of knowledge |
| 辯不能舉也。 | cannot be exhibited by any reasoning. |
| 名若儒、墨而凶矣。 | There may be as many names as those employed by the Literati and the Mohists, but (the result is) evil. |
| 故海不辭東流， | Thus when the sea does not reject the streams that flow into it in their eastward course, |
| 大之至也。 | we have the perfection of greatness. |
| 聖人并包天地， | The sage embraces in his regard both Heaven and Earth; |
| 澤及天下， | his beneficent influence extends to all tinder the sky; |
| 而不知其誰氏。 | and we do not know from whom it comes. |
| 是故生無爵， | Therefore though when living one may have no rank, |
| 死無諡， | and when dead no honorary epithet; |
| 實不聚， | though the reality (of what he is) may not be acknowledged |
| 名不立， | and his name not established; |
| 此之謂大人。 | we have in him what is called 'The Great Man.' |
| Character | Composition | Variants | Reading | Meaning | Hanyu | Kangxi | Cihai |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 彼 | 彳+5 | bǐ ㄅㄧˇ | That. / There. / He. / Others, the other. / Not, no. | v2,p0817#10 | p.365#25 | p.509r6c02 | |
| 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 |
| 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. | ||||||
| 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. | ||||||
| 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. | ||||||
| 此 | 止+2 | cǐ ㄘˇ | This. / Like this. / Here. / Adverb: then. | v2,p1438#03 | p.574#10 | p.735r4c01 | |
| 言 | 言+0 | 訁 𢍗 𢍬 | yán ㄧㄢˊ | Speak, say. / Discuss, debate. / Tell. / Doctrine, theory, words. / One word. / Sentence. / Particle, no meaning. | v6,p3936#01 | p.1146#01 | p.1236r5c03 |
| 辯 | 辛+14 | 𧦪 𧦬 辨 辩 | biàn ㄅㄧㄢˋ | Rule, govern. / Correct, amend. / Clever. / Argue, dispute. / Cunning words. / Eloquence. / Same as 「辨(1)」 biàn ㄅㄧㄢˋ: Separate, distinguish. / Same as 「變(1)」 biàn ㄅㄧㄢˋ: Change, alteration. / Same as 「遍(1)」 biàn ㄅㄧㄢˋ: Universal, general. | v6,p4045#01 | p.1252#14 | p.1310r4c01 |
| 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 | |
| 德 | 彳+12 | 惪 悳 | dé ㄉㄜˊ | Morals, morality. / Good deeds. / Good fortune. / Reward kindness, thank. / Heart, feelings. / Same as 「得(1.1)」 dé ㄉㄜˊ: Get, obtain. | v2,p0841#17 | p.371#08 | p.518r3c01 |
| 總 | 糸+11 | 総 搃 摠 𠂳 总 | zǒng zōng ㄗㄨㄥˇ ㄗㄨㄥ | collect; overall, altogether | v5,p3444#07 | p.936#21 | p.1057r5c03 |
| 乎 | 丿+4 | 虖 | hū ㄏㄨ | Modal particle expressing questioning or a rhetorical question. / Modal particle expressing admiration or exclamation. / Modal particle expressing estimation. / Modal particle expressing request or order. / Modal particle expressing calling. / Modal particle expressing consideration. / Modal particle expressing affirmation. / Particle used after adjectives. / Particle used in the middle of a sentence to express a pause. / Preposition: in, from, to. | v1,p0036#08 | p.82#07 | p.47r3c03 |
| 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 |
| 一 | 一+0 | 弌 壹 | yī ㄧ | one; a, an; alone | v1,p0001#01 | p.75#01 | p.1r1c01 |
| 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. | ||||||
| 休 | 人+4 | xiū ㄒㄧㄡ | rest, stop; retire; do not! | v1,p0117#18 | p.96#02 | p.93r1c01 | |
| 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. | ||||||
| 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 |
| 至 | 至+0 | 𦤳 𦤴 𦤵 𡊏 | zhì dié ㄓˋ ㄉㄧㄝˊ | reach, arrive; extremely, very | v4,p2814#01 | p.1001#11 | p.1111r3c04 |
| 矣 | 矢+2 | 𠤘 | yǐ ㄧˇ | Modal particle used to express declaration. / Modal particle used to express exclamation. / Modal particle used to express an order or request. | v4,p2580#04 | p.823#37 | p.955r5c01 |
| 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. | ||||||
| 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. | ||||||
| 同 | 口+3 | 仝 衕 | tóng tòng ㄊㄨㄥˊ ㄊㄨㄥˋ | same, similar; together with | v1,p0578#01 | p.175#06 | p.252r1c01 |
| 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 |
| 舉 | 臼+10 | 擧 㪯 举 | jǔ ㄐㄩˇ | raise, lift up; recommend | v5,p3041#08 | p.1005#15 | p.1114r3c01 |
| 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 | |
| 若 | 艸+5 | 若 𦱡 𦱶 𧁇 | ruò ㄖㄨㄛˋ | Iris. / Same as 「北海若」 běi hǎi ruò ㄅㄟˇ ㄏㄞˇ ㄖㄨㄛˋ: Ruo, a god of the Northern Sea. / Go by, accord with. / Choose. / Like, similar to. / Identical, the same. / As good as, comparable to. / To, arrive at. / You, your. / This way, like this. / Regarding, as regards. / If, should it be the case. / Or, alternatively. / But, yet. / Adjectival suffix. | v5,p3187#07 | p.1023#12 | p.1130r1c03 |
| 儒 | 人+14 | rú ㄖㄨˊ | (2) 儒家學派，即孔子及其弟子、後學人。 The Confucian school, Confucius and his followers. | v1,p0230#09 | p.119#30 | p.129r1c03 | |
| 墨 | 黑+3 | mò ㄇㄛˋ | 指墨翟及其弟子、後學人。 Mozi, founder of the Mohist school, and his followers. | v1,p0487#03 | p.238#40 | p.329r2c03 | |
| 凶 | 凵+2 | 兇 㐫 𣧑 | xiōng ㄒㄩㄥ | culprit; murder; bad, sad | v1,p0306#19 | p.135#02 | p.171r3c05 |
| 海 | 水+7 | hǎi ㄏㄞˇ | sea, ocean; maritime | v3,p1627#01 | p.625#14 | p.795r4c04 | |
| 辭 | 辛+12 | 辞 辤 𤔧 | cí ㄘˊ | Confession. / Speech, phrase, language. / Excuse, reason. / Tell, explain. / Refuse, not accept. / Dispatch, expel. / Bid farewell. / A form of writing in ancient China. | v6,p4043#13 | p.1252#08 | p.1310r3c02 |
| 東 | 木+4 | 东 | dōng ㄉㄨㄥ | east, eastern, eastward | v2,p1165#04 | p.513#12 | p.675r6c02 |
| 流 | 水+6 | 流 㳅 | liú ㄌㄧㄡˊ | flow, circulate, drift; class | v3,p1631#12 | p.623#04 | p.791r1c02 |
| 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. | ||||||
| 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 |
| 并 | 干+5 | 並 幷 竝 併 | bìng bīng ㄅㄧㄥˋ ㄅㄧㄥ | combine, annex; also, what's more | v1,p0242#06 | p.340#03 | p.484r4c02 |
| 包 | 勹+3 | 勹 | bāo ㄅㄠ | wrap, pack, bundle; package | v1,p0257#06 | p.150#27 | p.200r5c04 |
| 天 | 大+1 | 𠀡 𠀘 𦴞 兲 靝 𠕹 | tiān ㄊㄧㄢ | sky, heaven; god, celestial | v1,p0522#01 | p.248#04 | p.358r4c01 |
| 地 | 土+3 | 埊 𨻐 埅 𠏂 嶳 | dì de ㄉㄧˋ ㄉㄜ· | earth; soil, ground; region | v1,p0420#12 | p.224#06 | p.312r6c01 |
| 澤 | 水+13 | 沢 㚖 泽 | zé duó shì yì ㄗㄜˊ ㄉㄨㄛˊ ㄕˋ ㄧˋ | marsh, swamp; grace, brilliance; damp, moist; fertile | v3,p1757#01 | p.652#44 | p.834r1c02 |
| 及 | 又+2 | 𢎜 𨕤 | jí ㄐㄧˊ | Catch up to. / Retrieve, recover. / Attain, rival. / To. / Touch. / Relate to. / Continue, succeed. / Preposition: until ... (a time). / Connective: and. | v1,p0035#01 | p.165#03 | p.233r4c06 |
| 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 |
| 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. | ||||||
| 誰 | 言+8 | 谁 | shuí shéi ㄕㄨㄟˊ ㄕㄟˊ | who? whom? whose? anyone? | v6,p3987#10 | p.1165#11 | p.1247r3c02 |
| 氏 | 氏+0 | 厥 | shì zhī jīng ㄕˋ ㄓ ㄐㄧㄥ | clan, family; mister | v3,p2130#01 | p.597#18 | p.750r2c01 |
| 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 |
| 生 | 生+0 | 𤯓 | shēng ㄕㄥ | life, living, lifetime; birth | v4,p2575#01 | p.754#26 | p.906r5c03 |
| 無 | 火+8 | 𣟒 𣚨 𠘩 无 橆 | wú ㄨˊ | Not have. / Philosophical category referring to absence, non-existence, or vacuity. / Adverb expressing negation: not. / Adverb expressing questioning: or not. / Connective: regardless of. / Connective: even if. / Particle used at the beginning of a sentence, no meaning. / Do not. / Barren, uncultivated. | v3,p2211#15 | p.673#26 | p.848r2c04 |
| 爵 | 爪+14 | 𥥼 𩰧 𣡫 𠙘 | jué ㄐㄩㄝˊ | feudal title or rank | v3,p2037#06 | p.689#29 | |
| 死 | 歹+2 | 𠑾 𣥴 | sǐ ㄙˇ | die; dead; death | v2,p1380#06 | p.578#22 | p.740r6c06 |
| 諡 | 言+9 | 謚 | shì ㄕˋ | posthumous name, posthumous title | v6,p4000#03 | p.1169#32 | p.1252r1c06 |
| 實 | 宀+11 | 実 宲 𡾍 寔 实 | shí ㄕˊ | (2.1) 財富，財物。 Wealth, possessions. | v2,p0952#03 | p.291#04 | p.427r6c01 |
| 聚 | 耳+8 | jù ㄐㄩˋ | assemble, meet together, collect | v4,p2791#18 | p.967#41 | p.1084r1c01 | |
| 立 | 立+0 | 立 | lì ㄌㄧˋ | Stand. / Erect, raise. / Establish, found. / Fix, set. / Determine, decide. / Become independent. / Exist. / Take office. / Become ruler, enthrone. / Stop, prevent from moving. / Immediately. | v4,p2706#01 | p.870#17 | p.1002r5c01 |
| 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 |
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