The Great Learning Passage 15
生財有大道。生之者眾，食之者寡，為之者疾，用之者舒，則財恒足矣。仁者以財發身，不仁者以身發財。未有上好仁而下不好義者也，未有好義其事不終者也，未有府庫財非其財者也。
There is a great course also for the production of wealth. Let the producers be many and the consumers few. Let there be activity in the production, and economy in the expenditure. Then the wealth will always be sufficient. The virtuous ruler, by means of his wealth, makes himself more distinguished. The vicious ruler accumulates wealth, at the expense of his life. Never has there been a case of the sovereign loving benevolence, and the people not loving righteousness. Never has there been a case where the people have loved righteousness, and the affairs of the sovereign have not been carried to completion. And never has there been a case where the wealth in such a state, collected in the treasuries and arsenals, did not continue in the sovereign's possession.
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
- 生shēnglife, lifetime; birth; growth
- 財cáiriches, wealth, valuables
- 有yǒuto have, to own, to possess; to exist
- 大dàbig, great, vast, high, deep
- 道dàomethod, way; path, road
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 者zhěthat which; they who; those who
- 眾zhòngmultitude, crowd; masses, public
- 食shífood; to eat
- 寡guǎwidowed; friendless, alone
- 為wèito do, to act; to handle, to govern; to
- 疾jísickness, illness, disease; to envy, to
- 用yòngto use, to employ, to apply; use
- 舒shūrelaxed, comfortable; to unfold, to stre
- 則zérule, law, regulation; grades
- 恒héngconstant, persistent, regular
- 足zúfoot; to attain, to satisfy; enough
- 矣yǐparticle of completed action
- 仁rénbenevolent, humane, kind
- 以yǐaccording to; so as to; because of; then
- 發fāto issue, to dispatch, to send out; hair
- 身shēnbody, torso; person; pregnancy
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 未wèinot yet; 8th terrestrial branch
- 上shàngabove, on top, superior; to go up; to at
- 好hǎogood, excellent, fine; proper, suitable;
- 而érand, and then, and yet; but
- 下xiàbelow, underneath; inferior; to bring do
- 義yìright conduct, propriety; justice
- 也yěalso, too
- 其qíhis, her, its, their; that
- 事shìaffair, matter, business; to serve; acci
- 終zhōngend; finally, in the end
- 府fǔprefect; prefecture, government
- 庫kùarmory, treasury, warehouse
- 非fēinot, negative, non-; to oppose
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Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.