The Doctrine of the Mean Passage 37
《詩》曰：「奏假無言，時靡有爭。」是故君子不賞而民勸，不怒而民威於鈇鉞。
It is said in the Book of Poetry, "In silence is the offering presented, and the spirit approached to; there is not the slightest contention." Therefore the superior man does not use rewards, and the people are stimulated to virtue. He does not show anger, and the people are awed more than by hatchets and battle-axes.
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
- 曰yuēto speak; to say
- 奏zòuto play; to memorialize; to report
- 假jiǎfake, false, deceitful; vacation
- 無wúno, not; lacking, -less
- 言yánwords, speech; to speak, to say
- 時shítime, season; period, era, age
- 靡míto scatter, to disperse; to divide
- 有yǒuto have, to own, to possess; to exist
- 爭zhēngto dispute, to fight, to contend, to str
- 是shìto be; indeed, right, yes; okay
- 故gùreason, cause; happening, instance
- 君jūnsovereign, ruler, prince, monarch, chief
- 子zison, child; seed, egg; fruit; small thin
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 賞shǎngreward; to appreciate; to bestow, to gra
- 而érand, and then, and yet; but
- 民míncitizens, subjects; a nation's people
- 勸quànto recommend, to advise; to urge, to exh
- 怒nùanger, passion, rage
- 威wēimight, power, prestige; to dominate
- 於yúat, in, on; to, from; alas!
- 鈇fūan ax; a hatchet
- 鉞yuèbroad-axe; halberd, battle-axe
Similar passages
- Zhuangzi The Universe
- Mencius 5A.4
- Art of War 11.1
- Zhuangzi The Identity of Contraries
- Analects 17.19
- Mencius 2B.5
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.