The Doctrine of the Mean Passage 31
仲尼祖述堯、舜,憲章文、武;上律天時,下襲水土。辟如天地之無不持載,無不覆幬,辟如四時之錯行,如日月之代明。萬物并育而不相害,道并行而不相悖,小德川流,大德敦化,此天地之所以為大也。
Zhong-ni handed down the doctrines of Yao and Shun, as if they had been his ancestors, and elegantly displayed the regulations of Wen and Wu taking them as his model. Above, he harmonized with the times of Heaven, and below, he was conformed to the water and land. He may be compared to Heaven and Earth in their supporting and containing, their overshadowing and curtaining, all things. He may be compared to the four seasons in their alternating progress, and to the sun and moon in their successive shining. All things are nourished together without their injuring one another. The courses of the seasons, and of the sun and moon, are pursued without any collision among them. The smaller energies are like river currents; the greater energies are seen in mighty transformations. It is this which makes heaven and earth so great.
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
- 仲zhòngmiddle brother; go between, mediator; su
- 尼níBuddhist nun; used in transliterations
- 祖zǔancestor, forefather; grandfather; surna
- 述shùto express, to state; to narrate, to tel
- 堯yáoa legendary ancient emperor-sage
- 舜shùnlegendary ruler
- 憲xiànconstitution, statute, law
- 章zhāngchapter, section, writing; seal
- 文wénculture, literature, writing
- 武wǔmilitary; martial, warlike
- 上shàngabove, on top, superior; to go up; to at
- 律lǜstatute, principle, regulation
- 天tiānsky, heaven; god, celestial
- 時shítime, season; period, era, age
- 下xiàbelow, underneath; inferior; to bring do
- 襲xíto attack, to raid; to inherit
- 水shuǐwater, liquid, lotion, juice
- 土tǔsoil, earth; items made of earth
- 辟pìlaw, rule; to open up, to develop
- 如rúas, as if, like, such as, supposing
- 地deearth, ground, soil; land, region; struc
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 無wúno, not; lacking, -less
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 持chíto hold, to support, to sustain
- 載zàiload; to carry, to convey, to transport
- 覆fùto cover; to overturn; to repeat; to rep
- 幬chóuto cover up; curtain
- 四sìfour
- 錯cuòerror, mistake; incorrect, wrong
- 行xíngto go, to walk, to move; professional
- 日rìsun; day; daytime
- 月yuèmoon; month
- 代dàiera, generation; to substitute for, to r
- 明míngbright, clear; to explain, to understand
- 萬wànten thousand; innumerable
- 物wùthing, substance, matter; creature
- 并bìngto combine, to annex; also, what's more
- 育yùto produce, to give birth to; to educate
- 而érand, and then, and yet; but
- 相xiāngmutual, reciprocal; equal; each other
- 害hàito injure, to harm; to destroy, to kill
- 道dàomethod, way; path, road
- 悖bèicontradictory; counter to
- 小xiǎosmall, tiny, insignificant
- 德déethics, morality; compassion, kindness
- 川chuānstream, river
- 流liúto flow, to drift, to circulate; class
- 大dàbig, great, vast, high, deep
- 敦dūnhonest, candid, sincere; kind-hearted; t
- 化huàto change, to convert, to reform; -ize
- 此cǐthis, these; in this case, then
- 所suǒplace, location; "that which", a particl
- 以yǐaccording to; so as to; because of; then
- 為wèito do, to act; to handle, to govern; to
- 也yěalso, too
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Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.