The Great Learning Passage 5
《康誥》曰：「克明德。」《太甲》曰：「顧諟天之明命。」《帝典》曰：「克明峻德。」皆自明也。
In the Announcement to Kang, it is said, "He was able to make his virtue illustrious." In the Tai Jia, it is said, "He contemplated and studied the illustrious decrees of Heaven." In the Canon of the emperor (Yao), it is said, "He was able to make illustrious his lofty virtue." These passages all show how those sovereigns made themselves illustrious.
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
- 康kānghealth; peace, quiet
- 誥gàoinform, notify, admonish, order
- 曰yuēto speak; to say
- 克kèto subdue, to restrain, to overcome; use
- 明míngbright, clear; to explain, to understand
- 德déethics, morality; compassion, kindness
- 太tàivery, too much; big; extreme
- 甲jiǎarmor, shell; fingernails; 1st heavenly
- 顧gùto look back; to look at; to look after
- 諟shìto examine; to consider; honest
- 天tiānsky, heaven; god, celestial
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 命mìnglife; destiny, fate, luck; an order, ins
- 帝dìsupreme ruler, emperor; god
- 典diǎnlaw, canon; scripture, classic; document
- 峻jùnhigh, steep, towering; stern
- 皆jiēall, every, everybody
- 自zìself; private, personal; from
- 也yěalso, too
Similar passages
- Mencius 2A.4
- Mencius 4A.8
- Mencius 5A.4
- Zhuangzi The Circling Sky
- Mencius 5B.4
- The Great Learning Passage 6
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.