King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

The Great Learning Passage 7

《詩》云:「邦畿千里,惟民所止。」《詩》云:「緡蠻黃鳥,止于丘隅。」子曰:「於止,知其所止,可以人而不如鳥乎?」《詩》云:「穆穆文王,於緝熙敬止!」為人君,止於仁;為人臣,止於敬;為人子,止於孝;為人父,止於慈;與國人交,止於信。

In the Book of Poetry, it is said, "The royal domain of a thousand li is where the people rest." In the Book of Poetry, it is said, "The twittering yellow bird rests on a corner of the mound." The Master said, "When it rests, it knows where to rest. Is it possible that a man should not be equal to this bird?" In the Book of Poetry, it is said, "Profound was King Wen. With how bright and unceasing a feeling of reverence did he regard his resting places!" As a sovereign, he rested in benevolence. As a minister, he rested in reverence. As a son, he rested in filial piety. As a father, he rested in kindness. In communication with his subjects, he rested in good faith.

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.

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Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.