The Doctrine of the Mean Passage 11
子曰：「素隱行怪，後世有述焉，吾弗為之矣。君子遵道而行，半涂而廢，吾弗能已矣。君子依乎中庸，遁世不見知而不悔，唯聖者能之。
The Master said, "To live in obscurity, and yet practice wonders, in order to be mentioned with honor in future ages:-this is what I do not do. The good man tries to proceed according to the right path, but when he has gone halfway, he abandons it:-I am not able so to stop. The superior man accords with the course of the Mean. Though he may be all unknown, unregarded by the world, he feels no regret. It is only the sage who is able for this.
English: James Legge (1861), The Doctrine of the Mean, The Chinese Classics vol. 1 (1861); romanization modernized on Wikisource — public domain. Chinese: Chinese text from the Wikisource bilingual edition.
Character glossary
- 子zison, child; seed, egg; fruit; small thin
- 曰yuēto speak; to say
- 素sùplain; white; vegetarian; formerly; norm
- 隱yǐnto hide, to conceal; secret, hidden
- 行xíngto go, to walk, to move; professional
- 怪guàiunusual, strange, peculiar
- 後hòuafter; behind, rear; descendants
- 世shìgeneration, era, age; world
- 有yǒuto have, to own, to possess; to exist
- 述shùto express, to state; to narrate, to tel
- 焉yānwhy? where? how?; strange; thereupon, th
- 吾wúI, my, our; to resist, to impede
- 弗fúnot, negative
- 為wèito do, to act; to handle, to govern; to
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 矣yǐparticle of completed action
- 君jūnsovereign, ruler, prince, monarch, chief
- 遵zūnto follow, to comply with; to honor
- 道dàomethod, way; path, road
- 而érand, and then, and yet; but
- 半bànhalf; semi-, incomplete
- 涂túto smear, to scribble, to daub; surname
- 廢fèito terminate; to discard; to abgrogate
- 能néngcan, may; capable, full of energy
- 已yǐalready; finished; to stop; then, afterw
- 依yīto rely on; to consent, to obey; accordi
- 乎hūinterrogative or exclamatory final parti
- 中zhōngcentral; center, middle; amidst; to hit
- 庸yōngusual, common, ordinary, mediocre
- 遁dùnto flee, to escape; to hide, to conceal
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 見jiànto see, to observe, to meet, to appear
- 知zhīto know, to perceive, to comprehend
- 悔huǐto regret, to repent, to show remorse
- 唯wéionly; sole
- 聖shèngholy, sacred; sage, saint
- 者zhěthat which; they who; those who
Similar passages
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Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.