The Doctrine of the Mean Passage 35
《詩》云：「潛雖伏矣，亦孔之昭！」故君子內省不疚，無惡於志。君子所不可及者，其唯人之所不見乎！
It is said in the Book of Poetry, "Although the fish sink and lie at the bottom, it is still quite clearly seen." Therefore the superior man examines his heart, that there may be nothing wrong there, and that he may have no cause for dissatisfaction with himself. That wherein the superior man cannot be equaled is simply this,-his work which other men cannot see.
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
- 詩shīpoetry; poem, verse, ode
- 云yúncloud; to say, to speak
- 潛qiánto hide; secret, latent, hidden
- 雖suīalthough, even though
- 伏fúto crouch, to crawl, to lie hidden, to c
- 矣yǐparticle of completed action
- 亦yìalso, too; likewise
- 孔kǒngopening, hole, orifice; great
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 昭zhāobright, luminous; clear, manifest
- 故gùreason, cause; happening, instance
- 君jūnsovereign, ruler, prince, monarch, chief
- 子zison, child; seed, egg; fruit; small thin
- 內nèiinside
- 省shěngprovince; frugal; to save, to leave out
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 疚jiùchronic disease; guilt, remorse; sorrow
- 無wúno, not; lacking, -less
- 惡èbad, evil, wicked; to hate, to loathe; f
- 於yúat, in, on; to, from; alas!
- 志zhìdetermination, will; mark, sign; to reco
- 所suǒplace, location; "that which", a particl
- 可kěmay, can, -able; possibly
- 及jíto extend; to reach; and; in time
- 者zhěthat which; they who; those who
- 其qíhis, her, its, their; that
- 唯wéionly; sole
- 人rénman, person; people
- 見jiànto see, to observe, to meet, to appear
- 乎hūinterrogative or exclamatory final parti
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Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.