Mencius 7A.24
Mencius (孟子), Book 7, Part I: Jin Xin I 盡心上
孟子曰：「孔子登東山而小魯，登太山而小天下。故觀於海者難為水，遊於聖人之門者難為言。觀水有術，必觀其瀾。日月有明，容光必照焉。流水之為物也，不盈科不行；君子之志於道也，不成章不達。」
Mencius said, 'Confucius ascended the eastern hill, and Lu appeared to him small. He ascended the Tai mountain, and all beneath the heavens appeared to him small. So he who has contemplated the sea, finds it difficult to think anything of other waters, and he who has wandered in the gate of the sage, finds it difficult to think anything of the words of others. There is an art in the contemplation of water. It is necessary to look at it as foaming in waves. The sun and moon being possessed of brilliancy, their light admitted even through an orifice illuminates. Flowing water is a thing which does not proceed till it has filled the hollows in its course. The student who has set his mind on the doctrines of the sage, does not advance to them but by completing one lesson after another.'
Character glossary
- 孟mèngfirst in a series; great, eminent
- 子zison, child; seed, egg; fruit; small thin
- 曰yuēto speak; to say
- 孔kǒngopening, hole, orifice; great
- 登dēngto rise, to mount, to board, to climb
- 東dōngeast, eastern, eastward
- 山shānmountain, hill, peak
- 而érand, and then, and yet; but
- 小xiǎosmall, tiny, insignificant
- 魯lǔfoolish, stupid, rash; vulgar
- 太tàivery, too much; big; extreme
- 天tiānsky, heaven; god, celestial
- 下xiàbelow, underneath; inferior; to bring do
- 故gùreason, cause; happening, instance
- 觀guānto observe, to spectate; appearance, vie
- 於yúat, in, on; to, from; alas!
- 海hǎisea, ocean; maritime
- 者zhěthat which; they who; those who
- 難nánhard, difficult, arduous; unable
- 為wèito do, to act; to handle, to govern; to
- 水shuǐwater, liquid, lotion, juice
- 遊yóusto wander, to travel, to roam
- 聖shèngholy, sacred; sage, saint
- 人rénman, person; people
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 門méngate, door, entrance, opening
- 言yánwords, speech; to speak, to say
- 有yǒuto have, to own, to possess; to exist
- 術shùskill, art; method, technique; trick
- 必bìsurely, certainly; must; will
- 其qíhis, her, its, their; that
- 瀾lánoverflowing; ripples, waves
- 日rìsun; day; daytime
- 月yuèmoon; month
- 明míngbright, clear; to explain, to understand
- 容róngappearance, looks; form, figure; to cont
- 光guānglight; bright, brilliant; only, merely
- 照zhàoto shine, to reflect, to illuminate
- 焉yānwhy? where? how?; strange; thereupon, th
- 流liúto flow, to drift, to circulate; class
- 物wùthing, substance, matter; creature
- 也yěalso, too
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 盈yíngfull, overflowing; surplus; to fill
- 科kēsection, department; field, branch; scie
- 行xíngto go, to walk, to move; professional
- 君jūnsovereign, ruler, prince, monarch, chief
- 志zhìdetermination, will; mark, sign; to reco
- 道dàomethod, way; path, road
- 成chéngto accomplish; to become; to complete, t
- 章zhāngchapter, section, writing; seal
- 達dáto reach, to arrive at; intelligent
Passages with shared wording
- Zhuangzi Autumn Floods
- Zhuangzi Tien Tzŭ Fang
- Zhuangzi Robber Chê
- Zhuangzi The Circling Sky
- Zhuangzi On Letting Alone
- Zhuangzi The Secret of Life
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0); Chinese Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.