San Zi Jing (三字經) · Volume 1

人之初性本善性相近習相遠

When people are first born, their nature is good; their natures are close to one another, but habits carry them far apart.

苟不教性乃遷教之道貴以專

If they are not taught, their nature will turn bad; the way of teaching lies in being single-minded and devoted.

昔孟母擇鄰處子不學斷機杼

Long ago Mencius's mother chose her neighbors with care; when her son would not study, she cut the threads on her loom.

竇燕山有義方教五子名俱揚

Dou Yanshan had a good method for teaching his sons, and he raised five sons, every one of them famous far and wide.

養不教父之過教不嚴師之惰

To feed a child without teaching him is the father's fault; to teach without strictness is the teacher's laziness.

子不學非所宜幼不學老何為

For a child to refuse to learn is not right; if he does not study when young, what can he accomplish when old?

玉不琢不成器人不學不知義

Jade that is not carved and polished cannot become a vessel; a person who does not study will not understand righteousness.

為人子方少時親師友習禮儀

When children are young, they should stay close to teachers and friends and learn the rules of courtesy and proper conduct.

香九齡能溫席孝於親所當執

Huang Xiang at nine could warm his father's bedding; serving one's parents with filial devotion is a duty one must keep.

融四歲能讓梨弟於長宜先知

Kong Rong at four knew to give up the larger pears; respecting one's elder brother is something to understand early.

首孝弟次見聞知某數識某文

First speak of filial piety and brotherly respect, then of what one sees and hears; learn to count and learn to recognize written characters.

一而十十而百百而千千而萬

From one to ten, from ten to a hundred, from a hundred to a thousand, from a thousand to ten thousand.

三才者天地人三光者日月星

The Three Powers are heaven, earth and humankind; the Three Lights are the sun, the moon and the stars.

三綱者君臣義父子親夫婦順

The Three Bonds are these: between ruler and minister, righteousness; between father and son, affection; between husband and wife, harmony.

曰春夏曰秋冬此四時運不窮

Spring and summer, autumn and winter, these are the four seasons, turning without rest.

曰南北曰西東此四方應乎中

South and north, west and east, these are the four directions, all corresponding to the center.

曰水火木金土此五行本乎數

Water, fire, wood, metal and earth, these are the Five Phases, rooted in the numbers of nature.

曰仁義禮智信此五常不容紊

Benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom and trustworthiness, these are the Five Constants, which must not be thrown into disorder.

稻粱菽麥黍稷此六穀人所食

Rice, sorghum, beans, wheat, broomcorn millet and panicled millet, these six grains are what people eat.

馬牛羊雞犬豕此六畜人所飼

Horses, cattle, sheep, chickens, dogs and pigs, these six domestic animals are what people raise.

曰喜怒曰哀懼愛惡欲七情具

Joy and anger, sorrow and fear, together with love, hatred and desire, make up the seven emotions in full.

匏土革木石金與絲竹乃八音

Gourd, earth, hide, wood, stone and metal, with silk and bamboo added, make up the eight kinds of musical sound.

高曾祖父而身身而子子而孫

From great-great-grandfather, great-grandfather, grandfather and father down to oneself, from oneself to one's son, and from son to grandson.

自子孫至玄曾乃九族人之倫

Counting on from sons and grandsons to great-grandsons and great-great-grandsons makes the Nine Generations of kin; this is the order of human relationships.

父子恩夫婦從兄則友弟則恭

Between father and son there is kindness, between husband and wife there is harmony, the elder brother is affectionate and the younger brother respectful.

長幼序友與朋君則敬臣則忠

Between old and young there is order, between friends there is loyalty, the ruler treats ministers with respect and the ministers serve with devotion.

此十義人所同凡訓蒙須講究

These ten duties are shared by all people. In teaching young children, one must pay attention to method.

詳訓詁名句讀為學者必有初

Explain the meaning of the characters in detail and make clear where the sentences break; those who pursue learning always have a place to begin.

小學終至四書論語者二十篇

When the Elementary Learning has been read through, go on to the Four Books. The Analects has twenty chapters,

群弟子記善言孟子者七篇止

in which the disciples recorded the good words of Confucius. The Mencius has only seven chapters,

講道德說仁義作中庸子思筆

which speak of virtue and of benevolence and righteousness. The Doctrine of the Mean came from the hand of Zisi.

中不偏庸不易作大學乃曾子

"Mean" (zhong) means not leaning to either side, and "constant" (yong) means not changing. The Great Learning was written by Zengzi,

自修齊至平治孝經通四書熟

and speaks from cultivating oneself and ordering one's family to governing the state and bringing peace to the world. When the Classic of Filial Piety is understood and the Four Books are familiar,

如六經始可讀詩書易禮春秋

one may go on to read the Six Classics: the Poetry, the Documents, the Changes, the Rites, and the Spring and Autumn Annals.

號六經當講求有連山有歸藏

These are called the Six Classics, and they deserve study. The Changes has the Lianshan and the Guicang,

有周易三易詳有典謨有訓誥

and also the Zhou Changes, so that the three Changes are complete. The Documents has the Canons, the Counsels, the Instructions and the Announcements,

有誓命書之奧我周公作周禮

and also the Oaths and the Commands; this is where the depth of the Book of Documents lies. The Duke of Zhou composed the Rites of Zhou,

著六官存治體大小戴注禮記

which set down the six offices and preserve the structure of government. The two Dais, the Elder and the Younger, handed down the Record of Rites,

述聖言禮樂備曰國風曰雅頌

which relates the words of the sages, so that ritual and music are made complete. The Poetry has the Airs of the States, the Elegantiae and the Hymns,

號四詩當諷詠詩既亡春秋作

together called the Four Kinds of Poems, which should be chanted. When the teaching of the Poetry had died out, the Spring and Autumn Annals was composed.

寓褒貶別善惡三傳者有公羊

It holds praise and blame within its wording and distinguishes good from evil. Among its three commentaries are the Gongyang Commentary,

有左氏有穀梁經既明方讀子

the Zuo Commentary and the Guliang Commentary. When the classics are understood, one then reads the various masters;

撮其要記其事五子者有荀楊

pick out their essentials and remember the events of history. Among the Five Masters are Xunzi and Yang Xiong,

文中子及老莊經子通讀諸史

Wenzhongzi, and also Laozi and Zhuangzi. When the classics and the masters are understood, one reads the histories,

考世系知終始自羲農至黃帝

examining the lines of succession and learning when each dynasty began and ended. From Fuxi and Shennong to the Yellow Emperor,

號三皇居上世唐有虞號二帝

these are together called the Three Sovereigns, who lived in high antiquity. Tang Yao and Yu Shun are together called the Two Emperors;

相揖遜稱盛世夏有禹商有湯

they passed the throne on by abdication and are called a golden age. The Xia had Yu the Great, the Shang had Tang the Accomplished,

周文武稱三王夏傳子家天下

and the Zhou had King Wen and King Wu; together they are called the Three Kings. Yu of the Xia passed the throne to his son, and the world became one family's possession;

四百載遷夏社湯伐夏國號商

after four hundred years the altars of the Xia changed hands. Tang attacked Jie of the Xia and named his state Shang;

六百載至紂亡周武王始誅紂

after six hundred years it perished in the time of King Zhou. King Wu of Zhou raised an army and put King Zhou to death,

八百載最長久周轍東王綱墜

and the Zhou lasted eight hundred years, the longest of all. After the Zhou house moved east, the royal order collapsed,

逞干戈尚遊說始春秋終戰國

and so people turned to weapons of war and prized persuasive speech; this began in the Spring and Autumn period and ended in the Warring States.

五霸強七雄出嬴秦氏始兼併

The Five Hegemons claimed supremacy and the Seven Powers arose together. The state of Qin, of the Ying clan, began to swallow up the whole realm,

傳二世楚漢爭高祖興漢業建

but it passed down only two generations before Chu and Han fought each other. The Han founder Gaozu arose and the Han enterprise was established;

至孝平王莽篡光武興為東漢

in the time of Emperor Xiaoping, Wang Mang usurped the throne. Emperor Guangwu restored the dynasty, and this was the Eastern Han;

四百年終於獻魏蜀吳爭漢鼎

the Han lasted four hundred years and ended with Emperor Xian. Wei, Shu and Wu fought over the cauldrons of the Han house,

號三國迄兩晉宋齊繼梁陳承

and are together called the Three Kingdoms, which lasted until the two Jin dynasties. The Song and Qi followed one after another, and the Liang and Chen succeeded them,

為南朝都金陵北元魏分東西

these were the Southern Dynasties, with their capital at Jinling. In the north the Yuan Wei split into the Eastern Wei and the Western Wei,