The Doctrine of the Mean Passage 33
唯天下至誠，為能經綸天下之大經，立天下之大本，知天地之化育。夫焉有所倚？肫肫其仁！淵淵其淵！浩浩其天！苟不固聰明聖知達天德者，其孰能知之？
It is only the individual possessed of the most entire sincerity that can exist under Heaven, who can adjust the great invariable relations of mankind, establish the great fundamental virtues of humanity, and know the transforming and nurturing operations of Heaven and Earth;-shall this individual have any being or anything beyond himself on which he depends? Call him man in his ideal, how earnest is he! Call him an abyss, how deep is he! Call him Heaven, how vast is he! Who can know him, but he who is indeed quick in apprehension, clear in discernment, of far-reaching intelligence, and all-embracing knowledge, possessing all Heavenly virtue?
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
- 唯wéionly; sole
- 天tiānsky, heaven; god, celestial
- 下xiàbelow, underneath; inferior; to bring do
- 至zhìreach, arrive; very, extremely
- 誠chénghonest, sincere, true; actually, really
- 為wèito do, to act; to handle, to govern; to
- 能néngcan, may; capable, full of energy
- 經jīngthe classics; to experience, to undergo
- 綸lúnsilk thread; to twist together; to class
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 大dàbig, great, vast, high, deep
- 立lìto stand; to establish, to set up
- 本běnroot, origin, source; basis
- 知zhīto know, to perceive, to comprehend
- 地deearth, ground, soil; land, region; struc
- 化huàto change, to convert, to reform; -ize
- 育yùto produce, to give birth to; to educate
- 夫fūman, husband; worker; those
- 焉yānwhy? where? how?; strange; thereupon, th
- 有yǒuto have, to own, to possess; to exist
- 所suǒplace, location; "that which", a particl
- 倚yǐto rely on, to depend on
- 肫zhūngizzard; honest, sincere
- 其qíhis, her, its, their; that
- 仁rénbenevolent, humane, kind
- 淵yuānabyss, depth; to surge up, to bubble up
- 浩hàogreat, grand, vast
- 苟gǒucareless, frivolous, illicit; but, if on
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 固gùto solidify; strength
- 聰cōngsharp (of sight and hearing); intelligen
- 明míngbright, clear; to explain, to understand
- 聖shèngholy, sacred; sage, saint
- 達dáto reach, to arrive at; intelligent
- 德déethics, morality; compassion, kindness
- 者zhěthat which; they who; those who
- 孰shúwho? which? what? which one?
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Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.