| Chinese Text Project |
| 古者聖王必以鬼神為，其務鬼神厚矣， | Deep was their own interest in the welfare of ghosts and spirits. |
| 又恐後世子孫不能知也， | Yet they were afraid their descendants might not understand it. |
| 故書之竹帛，傳遺後世子孫； | Thus they recorded it on bamboos and silk to bequeath to them. |
| 咸恐其腐蠹絕滅， | Fearing that these might rot and disappear |
| 後世子孫不得而記， | so that the descendants might not learn it, |
| 故琢之盤盂，鏤之金石，以重之； | they engraved it on plates and cups and cut it in metals and stones. |
| 有恐後世子孫不能敬莙以取羊， | They feared also that the descendants might not be reverent and obtain blessing, |
| 故先王之書，聖人一尺之帛，一篇之書，語數鬼神之有也，重有重之。 | and so among the books of the ancient kings and the records of sages testimonies to the existence of ghosts and spirits occur time and again even on a single foot of silk or a single sheet in the books. |
| 此其故何？ | Why was this? |
| 則聖王務之。 | Because the sage-kings were interested in it. |
| 今執無鬼者曰： | Those who deny the existence of spirits, saying |
| 『鬼神者， | "Ghosts and spirits |
| 固無有。』 | just do not exist", |
| 則此反聖王之務。 | are opposing the interest of the sage-kings. |
| 反聖王之務， | Opposing the interest of the sage-kings |
| 則非所以為君子之道也！」 | is not the way of the superior man. |
| Character | Composition | Variants | Reading | Meaning | Hanyu | Kangxi | Cihai |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 古 | 口+2 | 𠖠 𡇣 | gǔ ㄍㄨˇ | old, classic, ancient | v1,p0568#03 | p.171#08 | p.240r1c02 |
| 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. | ||||||
| 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 | |
| 必 | 心+1 | bì ㄅㄧˋ | surely, most certainly; must | v4,p2267#02 | p.375#02 | p.522r5c01 | |
| 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 |
| 鬼 | 鬼+0 | 𩲡 𢇼 𣆠 | guǐ ㄍㄨㄟˇ | ghost; spirit of dead; devil | v7,p4427#01 | p.1460#30 | p.1521r5c03 |
| 神 | 示+5 | 神 𥛠 | shén shēn ㄕㄣˊ ㄕㄣ | spirit, god, supernatural being | v4,p2392#01 | p.842#03 | |
| 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. | ||||||
| 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. | ||||||
| 務 | 力+9 | 务 | wù ㄨˋ | Do one's utmost. / Seek, aim for. / Things, circumstances. / Must, need to. | v4,p2765#09 | p.148#20 | p.197r5c01 |
| wǔ ㄨˇ | Bully. | ||||||
| mào ㄇㄠˋ | Cheat, mislead. | ||||||
| 厚 | 厂+7 | 垕 𡦩 | hòu ㄏㄡˋ | thick; substantial; greatly | v1,p0072#06 | p.161#26 | p.229r2c02 |
| 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 |
| 又 | 又+0 | yòu ㄧㄡˋ | Hand. / Again, once more. / Moreover. / And, while. Expresses two situations happening at once or sequential action. / And yet. Expresses contrast. / Offer wine. / Forgive. | v1,p0390#01 | p.164#43 | p.233r4c03 | |
| 恐 | 心+6 | 𢖶 𢙢 | kǒng ㄎㄨㄥˇ | fear; fearful, apprehensive | v4,p2289#08 | p.384#08 | p.529r3c03 |
| 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 |
| 子 | 子+0 | 㜽 𢀈 𢀉 𡐫 𣕓 只 | zǐ ㄗˇ | Child, heir. Refers to both sons and daughters. / Love, charity. / Respectful term for a man. / People in general. / Fourth of the five levels of nobility. / First of the twelve earthly branches of the zodiac. | v2,p1006#06 | p.277#01 | p.395r1c01 |
| 孫 | 子+7 | 孙 | sūn xùn ㄙㄨㄣ ㄒㄩㄣˋ | grandchild, descendent; surname | v2,p1016#05 | p.279#23 | p.401r6c02 |
| 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. | ||||||
| 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. | ||||||
| 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 |
| 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 | |
| 書 | 曰+6 | 书 | shū ㄕㄨ | book, letter, document; writings | v2,p1509#09 | p.502#12 | p.650r3c02 |
| 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 |
| 竹 | 竹+0 | zhú ㄓㄨˊ | bamboo; flute; KangXi radical 118 | v5,p2947#01 | p.877#01 | p.1007r1c01 | |
| 帛 | 巾+5 | bó ㄅㄛˊ | silks, fabrics; wealth, property | v1,p0734#06 | p.330#07 | p.474r5c04 | |
| 傳 | 人+11 | 传 | chuán zhuàn ㄔㄨㄢˊ ㄓㄨㄢˋ | summon; propagate, transmit | v1,p0208#09 | p.114#23 | p.122r2c01 |
| 遺 | 辵+12 | 𨗮 𨖽 𨗭 遗 | yí ㄧˊ | Lose, misplace. / Thing which has been lost or misplaced. / Omit, leave out. / Thing which has been omitted or left out. / Abandon, neglect. / Excrement. / Leave behind. / Things or people left behind. / Cause, invite. | v6,p3882#07 | p.1265#18 | p.1332r4c01 |
| wèi ㄨㄟˋ | Give, present. / Send, deliver (a message). | ||||||
| 咸 | 口+6 | 鹹 | xián ㄒㄧㄢˊ | together; all, completely; united | v2,p1404#02 | p.187#19 | p.269r4c06 |
| 腐 | 肉+8 | fǔ ㄈㄨˇ | rot, decay, spoil; rotten | v5,p2933#03 | p.987#05 | p.1099r2c02 | |
| 蠹 | 虫+18 | 蠧 螙 | dù ㄉㄨˋ | moth; insects which eat into clot | v4,p2908#09 | p.1104#05 | p.1202r3c02 |
| 絕 | 糸+6 | 𢇍 𠤉 绝 | jué ㄐㄩㄝˊ | cut, sever, break off, terminate | v5,p3396#04 | p.922#04 | p.1041r6c02 |
| 滅 | 水+10 | 烕 𣹹 𢦹 灭 | miè ㄇㄧㄝˋ | extinguish; wipe out, exterminate | v3,p1696#09 | p.642#01 | p.821r1c01 |
| 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 |
| 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. | ||||||
| 記 | 言+3 | 记 | jì ㄐㄧˋ | record; keep in mind, remember | v6,p3943#03 | p.1149#02 | p.1238r3c01 |
| 琢 | 玉+8 | zhuó zuó ㄓㄨㄛˊ ㄗㄨㄛˊ | polish jade; cut jade | v2,p1120#12 | p.734#19 | p.896r4c02 | |
| 盤 | 皿+10 | 鎜 柈 盘 | pán xuán ㄆㄢˊ ㄒㄩㄢˊ | tray, plate, dish; examine | v4,p2568#03 | p.796#09 | p.941r3c01 |
| 盂 | 皿+3 | yú ㄩˊ | basin; cup | v4,p2557#06 | p.792#40 | p.938r4c01 | |
| 鏤 | 金+11 | 镂 | lòu lǘ ㄌㄡˋ ㄌㄩˊ | carve, inlay, engrave, tattoo | v6,p4248#12 | p.1320#18 | p.1393r1c02 |
| 金 | 金+0 | 钅 𨤾 𨥄 釒 | jīn jìn ㄐㄧㄣ ㄐㄧㄣˋ | gold; metals in general; money | v6,p4167#01 | p.1295#01 | p.1363r1c01 |
| 石 | 石+0 | 𥐘 | shí dàn ㄕˊ ㄉㄢˋ | stone, rock, mineral; rad. 112 | v4,p2416#01 | p.827#01 | p.957r5c03 |
| 重 | 里+2 | 𡍴 | zhòng ㄓㄨㄥˋ | Heavy. / Important, significant. / Valuable, noble. / Solemn, dignified. / Respect, attach importance to. / Difficult. / Addition, also. / Supplies for an army. / Extreme. | v6,p3680#02 | p.1291#03 | p.1357r6c01 |
| chóng ㄔㄨㄥˊ | Repeat, duplicate. / Layer, level. / Start afresh, do again. | ||||||
| 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. | ||||||
| 敬 | 攴+9 | 𣀖 𢿩 | jìng ㄐㄧㄥˋ | respect, honor; respectfully | v2,p1466#02 | p.473#35 | p.606r5c02 |
| 莙 | 艸+7 | jūn ㄐㄩㄣ | species of water plant | v5,p3225#12 | p.1034#14 | p.1140r6c02 | |
| 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 | |
| 羊 | 羊+0 | yáng ㄧㄤˊ | sheep, goat; KangXi radical 123 | v5,p3125#01 | p.950#38 | p.1068r3c01 | |
| 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 |
| 一 | 一+0 | 弌 壹 | yī ㄧ | one; a, an; alone | v1,p0001#01 | p.75#01 | p.1r1c01 |
| 尺 | 尸+1 | chǐ ㄔˇ | (1) 量詞：長度單位，十寸為尺。 Measure word: unit of length equal to ten cun. | v2,p0964#02 | p.299#32 | p.445r6c01 | |
| 篇 | 竹+9 | piān ㄆㄧㄢ | chapter, section, essay, article | v5,p2995#10 | p.892#14 | p.1019r2c01 | |
| 語 | 言+7 | 语 | yǔ ㄩˇ | Speak (with someone). / Spoken words. / Language. / Proverb, saying. | v6,p3974#09 | p.1163#08 | p.1245r6c03 |
| yù ㄩˋ | Tell. / Warn, admonish. | ||||||
| 數 | 攴+11 | 数 | shù shǔ cù shuò ㄕㄨˋ ㄕㄨˇ ㄘㄨˋ ㄕㄨㄛˋ | number; several; count; fate | v2,p1474#01 | p.475#04 | p.607r4c01 |
| 此 | 止+2 | cǐ ㄘˇ | This. / Like this. / Here. / Adverb: then. | v2,p1438#03 | p.574#10 | p.735r4c01 | |
| 何 | 人+5 | hé ㄏㄜˊ | Ask, enquire. / What. / Who, which one. / How, in what way. / Why, for what reason. / Where, in what place. / How much, to what extent. | v1,p0130#04 | p.98#15 | p.97r2c04 | |
| hē ㄏㄜ | Criticize, condemn. | ||||||
| hè ㄏㄜˋ | Carry on one's back. / Bear, carry a burden. | ||||||
| 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 |
| 今 | 人+2 | jīn ㄐㄧㄣ | now, today, modern era | v1,p0105#05 | p.91#18 | p.83r5c02 | |
| 執 | 土+8 | 执 𠌷 | zhí ㄓˊ | hold in hand; keep; carry out | v1,p0457#05 | p.231#09 | p.321r1c02 |
| 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 |
| 曰 | 曰+0 | yuē ㄩㄝ | (1) 說。 Say, speak. | v2,p1482#02 | p.502#01 | p.648r3c03 | |
| 固 | 囗+5 | 怘 | gù ㄍㄨˋ | to become solid, solidify; strength | v1,p0716#09 | p.218#03 | p.302r5c04 |
| 反 | 又+2 | 𠬡 | fǎn ㄈㄢˇ | Turn over. / Opposite, other way around. / Violate, go against. / Rebel, mutiny. / Return, go back to. / Go and return. / Return, give back. / Repeat, do again. / Reason by analogy. / Reflect, consider. / Revenge. / Fanqie, an ancient way of specifying character readings. / Adverb: rather, on the contrary. | v1,p0391#03 | p.165#19 | p.234r1c02 |
| fān ㄈㄢ | Open. / Correct a mistaken judgement. / Pour out. | ||||||
| fàn ㄈㄢˋ | Same as 「販(2)」 fàn ㄈㄢˋ: To trade goods. | ||||||
| bǎn ㄅㄢˇ | See "反反". | ||||||
| pàn ㄆㄢˋ | See "反衍". | ||||||
| 非 | 非+0 | fēi ㄈㄟ | Violate, go against (a rule). / Wrong, bad. / Not real, untrue. / Oppose, object to. / Slander, condemn. / Sarcasm, irony. / Absence of, not have. / Adverb: not, is not. | v6,p4086#01 | p.1382#11 | p.1463r6c02 | |
| fěi ㄈㄟˇ | Same as 「誹(2)」 fěi ㄈㄟˇ: Slander. | ||||||
| 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 |
| 君子 | 口+4 子+0 | 𠱩 𠱭 㜽 𢀈 𢀉 𡐫 𣕓 只 | jūnzǐ ㄐㄩㄣㄗˇ | (2) 有道德的人。 A moral man. | v1,p0595#06 v2,p1006#06 | p.177#07 p.277#01 | p.256r6c08 p.395r1c01 |
| 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. |
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