The Doctrine of the Mean Passage 6
子曰：「舜其大知也與！舜好問而好察邇言，隱惡而揚善，執其兩端，用其中於民，其斯以為舜乎！」
The Master said, "There was Shun: He indeed was greatly wise! Shun loved to question others, and to study their words, though they might be shallow. He concealed what was bad in them and displayed what was good. He took hold of their two extremes, determined the Mean, and employed it in his government of the people. It was by this that he was Shun!"
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
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Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.