The Great Learning Passage 10
所謂齊其家在修其身者:人之其所親愛而辟焉,之其所賤惡而辟焉,之其所畏敬而辟焉,之其所哀矜而辟焉,之其所敖惰而辟焉。故好而知其惡,惡而知其美者,天下鮮矣!故諺有之曰:「人莫知其子之惡,莫知其苗之碩。」此謂身不修不可以齊其家。
What is meant by "The regulation of one's family depends on the cultivation of his person" is this: Men are partial where they feel affection and love; partial where they despise and dislike; partial where they stand in awe and reverence; partial where they feel sorrow and compassion; partial where they are arrogant and rude. Thus it is that there are few men in the world who love and at the same time know the bad qualities of the object of their love, or who hate and yet know the excellences of the object of their hatred. Hence it is said, in the common adage, "A man does not know the wickedness of his son; he does not know the richness of his growing corn." This is what is meant by saying that if the person be not cultivated, a man cannot regulate his family.
English: James Legge (1861), The Great Learning, The Chinese Classics vol. 1 (1861); romanization modernized on Wikisource — public domain. Chinese: Chinese text from the Wikisource bilingual edition.
Character glossary
- 所suǒplace, location; "that which", a particl
- 謂wèito call, to say, to tell; name, title; m
- 齊qíeven, uniform, of equal length
- 其qíhis, her, its, their; that
- 家jiāhouse, home, residence; family
- 在zàiat, in, on; to exist; used to indicate t
- 修xiūto study; to repair; to decorate; to cul
- 身shēnbody, torso; person; pregnancy
- 者zhěthat which; they who; those who
- 人rénman, person; people
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 親qīnrelatives, parents; intimate; the hazeln
- 愛àito love, to like, to be fond of; love, a
- 而érand, and then, and yet; but
- 辟pìlaw, rule; to open up, to develop
- 焉yānwhy? where? how?; strange; thereupon, th
- 賤jiàncheap, low, mean, worthless
- 惡èbad, evil, wicked; to hate, to loathe; f
- 畏wèifear, dread, awe, reverence
- 敬jìngto respect, to honor; respectfully
- 哀āisad, mournful, pitiful; to pity; to grie
- 矜jīnto pity, to sympathize, to feel sorry fo
- 敖áoto ramble, to play about; leisurely; sur
- 惰duòlazy, idle, indolent; careless
- 故gùreason, cause; happening, instance
- 好hǎogood, excellent, fine; proper, suitable;
- 知zhīto know, to perceive, to comprehend
- 美měibeautiful, pretty; pleasing
- 天tiānsky, heaven; god, celestial
- 下xiàbelow, underneath; inferior; to bring do
- 鮮xiānfresh; delicious; attractive
- 矣yǐparticle of completed action
- 諺yànproverb, maxim
- 有yǒuto have, to own, to possess; to exist
- 曰yuēto speak; to say
- 莫mòcannot; do not; is not; negative
- 子zison, child; seed, egg; fruit; small thin
- 苗miáosprouts; Miao nationality
- 碩shuògreat, eminent; large, big
- 此cǐthis, these; in this case, then
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 可kěmay, can, -able; possibly
- 以yǐaccording to; so as to; because of; then
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Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.