The Great Learning (大學)
- Chinese title
- 大學
- Author
- attributed to Zengzi
- Translation
- James Legge (1861) — The Great Learning, The Chinese Classics vol. 1 (1861); romanization modernized on Wikisource
- Chinese text
- Chinese text from the Wikisource bilingual edition
- Contents
- 16 passages
- Status
- Public domain
Contents
| Passage | Opening words |
|---|---|
| Passage 1 | What the Great Learning teaches, is to illustrate illustrious virtue; to renovate the people; and to rest in t |
| Passage 2 | The ancients who wished to illustrate illustrious virtue throughout the kingdom, first ordered well their own |
| Passage 3 | What is meant by "making the thoughts sincere" is the allowing no self-deception, as when we hate a bad smell, |
| Passage 4 | In the Book of Poetry, it is said, "Look at that winding course of the Qi, with the green bamboos so luxuriant |
| Passage 5 | In the Announcement to Kang, it is said, "He was able to make his virtue illustrious." In the Tai Jia, it is s |
| Passage 6 | On the bathing tub of Tang, the following words were engraved: "If you can one day renovate yourself, do so fr |
| Passage 7 | In the Book of Poetry, it is said, "The royal domain of a thousand li is where the people rest." In the Book o |
| Passage 8 | The Master said, "In hearing litigations, I am like any other body. What is necessary is to cause the people t |
| Passage 9 | What is meant by, "The cultivation of the person depends on rectifying the mind" may be thus illustrated: If a |
| Passage 10 | What is meant by "The regulation of one's family depends on the cultivation of his person" is this: Men are pa |
| Passage 11 | What is meant by "In order rightly to govern the state, it is necessary first to regulate the family," is this |
| Passage 12 | What is meant by "The making the whole kingdom peaceful and happy depends on the government of his state," is |
| Passage 13 | In the Book of Poetry, it is said, "Before the sovereigns of the Yin dynasty had lost the hearts of the people |
| Passage 14 | In the Declaration of the Duke of Qin, it is said, "Let me have but one minister, plain and sincere, not prete |
| Passage 15 | There is a great course also for the production of wealth. Let the producers be many and the consumers few. Le |
| Passage 16 | The officer Meng Xian said, "He who keeps horses and a carriage does not look after fowls and pigs. The family |
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.