The Doctrine of the Mean Passage 9
子曰：「天下國家可均也，爵祿可辭也，白刃可蹈也，中庸不可能也。」
The Master said, "The kingdom, its states, and its families, may be perfectly ruled; dignities and emoluments may be declined; naked weapons may be trampled under the feet; but the course of the Mean cannot be attained to."
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
- 天tiānsky, heaven; god, celestial
- 下xiàbelow, underneath; inferior; to bring do
- 國guócountry, nation, state; national
- 家jiāhouse, home, residence; family
- 可kěmay, can, -able; possibly
- 均jūnequal, even, fair; level, uniform; also,
- 也yěalso, too
- 爵juénoble; a feudal rank or title
- 祿lùblessing, happiness, prosperity
- 辭cíwords, speech; to resign, to take leave
- 白báiwhite; clear, pure, unblemished; bright
- 刃rènedged tool, cutlery, knife edge
- 蹈dǎoto dance, to stamp the feet
- 中zhōngcentral; center, middle; amidst; to hit
- 庸yōngusual, common, ordinary, mediocre
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 能néngcan, may; capable, full of energy
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Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.