The Doctrine of the Mean Passage 25
至誠之道，可以前知。國家將興，必有禎祥；國家將亡，必有妖孽。見乎蓍龜，動乎四體。禍福將至：善，必先知之；不善，必先知之。故至誠如神。
It is characteristic of the most entire sincerity to be able to foreknow. When a nation or family is about to flourish, there are sure to be happy omens; and when it is about to perish, there are sure to be unlucky omens. Such events are seen in the milfoil and tortoise, and affect the movements of the four limbs. When calamity or happiness is about to come, the good shall certainly be foreknown by him, and the evil also. Therefore the individual possessed of the most complete sincerity is like a spirit.
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
- 至zhìreach, arrive; very, extremely
- 誠chénghonest, sincere, true; actually, really
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 道dàomethod, way; path, road
- 可kěmay, can, -able; possibly
- 以yǐaccording to; so as to; because of; then
- 前qiánin front, forward; former, preceding
- 知zhīto know, to perceive, to comprehend
- 國guócountry, nation, state; national
- 家jiāhouse, home, residence; family
- 將jiāngthe future, what will be; ready, prepare
- 興xìngto thrive, to prosper, to flourish
- 必bìsurely, certainly; must; will
- 有yǒuto have, to own, to possess; to exist
- 禎zhēnlucky, auspicious; a good omen
- 祥xiánghappiness, good fortune; auspicious
- 亡wángdeath, destruction; to lose; to perish
- 妖yāostrange, weird, supernatural; bewitching
- 孽nièbastard child; the consequence of a sin;
- 見jiànto see, to observe, to meet, to appear
- 乎hūinterrogative or exclamatory final parti
- 蓍shīyarrow, milfoil; a plant used in divinat
- 龜guīturtle, tortoise; cuckold
- 動dòngto move, to happen; movement, action
- 四sìfour
- 體tǐbody; group, class; form, style, system
- 禍huòmisfortune, disaster, calamity
- 福fúhappiness, good fortune, blessings
- 善shàngood, virtuous, charitable, kind
- 先xiānfirst, former, previous
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 故gùreason, cause; happening, instance
- 如rúas, as if, like, such as, supposing
- 神shéngod, spirit; divine, mysterious, superna
Similar passages
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Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.