The Doctrine of the Mean Passage 39
《詩》曰：「予懷明德，不大聲以色。」子曰：「聲色之於以化民，末也。」《詩》曰：「德輶如毛」，毛猶有倫；「上天之載，無聲無臭」，至矣！
It is said in the Book of Poetry, "I regard with pleasure your brilliant virtue, making no great display of itself in sounds and appearances." The Master said, "Among the appliances to transform the people, sound and appearances are but trivial influences. It is said in another ode, 'His Virtue is light as a hair.' Still, a hair will admit of comparison as to its size. 'The doings of the supreme Heaven have neither sound nor smell. 'That is perfect 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
- 詩shīpoetry; poem, verse, ode
- 曰yuēto speak; to say
- 予yǔto give; to award
- 懷huáibosom, breast; to carry in one's bosom
- 明míngbright, clear; to explain, to understand
- 德déethics, morality; compassion, kindness
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 大dàbig, great, vast, high, deep
- 聲shēngsound, noise; voice, tone, music
- 以yǐaccording to; so as to; because of; then
- 色sècolor, tint, hue, shade; beauty, form; s
- 子zison, child; seed, egg; fruit; small thin
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 於yúat, in, on; to, from; alas!
- 化huàto change, to convert, to reform; -ize
- 民míncitizens, subjects; a nation's people
- 末mòend, final, last; insignificant
- 也yěalso, too
- 輶yóulight carriage; trifling, light
- 如rúas, as if, like, such as, supposing
- 毛máohair, fur, feathers; coarse
- 猶yóusimilar to, just like, as
- 有yǒuto have, to own, to possess; to exist
- 倫lúnhuman relationships; society
- 上shàngabove, on top, superior; to go up; to at
- 天tiānsky, heaven; god, celestial
- 載zàiload; to carry, to convey, to transport
- 無wúno, not; lacking, -less
- 臭chòuto reek, to smell, to stink
- 至zhìreach, arrive; very, extremely
- 矣yǐparticle of completed action
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Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.