The Doctrine of the Mean Passage 6

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

• 子zison, child; seed, egg; fruit; small thin
• 曰yuēto speak; to say
• 舜shùnlegendary ruler
• 其qíhis, her, its, their; that
• 大dàbig, great, vast, high, deep
• 知zhīto know, to perceive, to comprehend
• 也yěalso, too
• 與yǔand; with; to; for; to give, to grant
• 好hǎogood, excellent, fine; proper, suitable;
• 問wènto ask about, to inquire after
• 而érand, and then, and yet; but
• 察cháto examine, to investigate, to observe
• 邇ěrnear, close; recent
• 言yánwords, speech; to speak, to say
• 隱yǐnto hide, to conceal; secret, hidden
• 惡èbad, evil, wicked; to hate, to loathe; f
• 揚yángto flutter, to wave; to hoist, to raise;
• 善shàngood, virtuous, charitable, kind
• 執zhíto execute; to grasp, to hold; to keep;
• 兩liǎngtwo, both, pair, couple; ounce
• 端duānend, extreme; head; beginning
• 用yòngto use, to employ, to apply; use
• 中zhōngcentral; center, middle; amidst; to hit
• 於yúat, in, on; to, from; alas!
• 民míncitizens, subjects; a nation's people
• 斯sīthis, thus, such; emphatic particle; use
• 以yǐaccording to; so as to; because of; then
• 為wèito do, to act; to handle, to govern; to
• 乎hūinterrogative or exclamatory final parti

Similar passages

• Analects 9.7
• Zhuangzi The Identity of Contraries
• Zhuangzi Transcendental Bliss
• Zhuangzi Tsê Yang
• Mencius 5A.5
• Zhuangzi Man Among Men

Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.