The Doctrine of the Mean Passage 24
其次致曲。曲能有誠，誠則形，形則著，著則明，明則動，動則變，變則化。唯天下至誠為能化。
Next to the above is he who cultivates to the utmost the shoots of goodness in him. From those he can attain to the possession of sincerity. This sincerity becomes apparent. From being apparent, it becomes manifest. From being manifest, it becomes brilliant. Brilliant, it affects others. Affecting others, they are changed by it. Changed by it, they are transformed. It is only he who is possessed of the most complete sincerity that can exist under heaven, who can transform.
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
- 其qíhis, her, its, their; that
- 次cìorder, sequence; second, next; one after
- 致zhìto send; to present, to deliver; to caus
- 曲qūcrooked, bent; wrong, false
- 能néngcan, may; capable, full of energy
- 有yǒuto have, to own, to possess; to exist
- 誠chénghonest, sincere, true; actually, really
- 則zérule, law, regulation; grades
- 形xíngform, shape; to appear; to describe; to
- 著zheto show, to prove, to make known
- 明míngbright, clear; to explain, to understand
- 動dòngto move, to happen; movement, action
- 變biànto change, to transform, to alter; rebel
- 化huàto change, to convert, to reform; -ize
- 唯wéionly; sole
- 天tiānsky, heaven; god, celestial
- 下xiàbelow, underneath; inferior; to bring do
- 至zhìreach, arrive; very, extremely
- 為wèito do, to act; to handle, to govern; to
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Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.
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