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Chapter 54

善建者不拔

善shàn建jiàn者zhě不bù拔bá，
善shàn抱bào者zhě不bù脱tuō，
子zǐ孙sūn以yǐ祭jì祀sì不bù辍chuò。
修xiū之zhī于yú身shēn，
其qí德dé乃nǎi真zhēn；
修xiū之zhī于yú家jiā，
其qí德dé乃nǎi馀yú；
修xiū之zhī于yú乡xiāng，
其qí德dé乃nǎi长cháng；
修xiū之zhī于yú国guó，
其qí德dé乃nǎi丰fēng；
修xiū之zhī于yú天tiān下xià，
其qí德dé乃nǎi普pǔ。
故gù以yǐ身shēn观guān身shēn，
以yǐ家jiā观guān家jiā，
以yǐ乡xiāng观guān乡xiāng，
以yǐ国guó观guān国guó，
以yǐ天tiān下xià观guān天tiān下xià。
吾wú何hé以yǐ知zhī天tiān下xià然rán哉zāi？
以yǐ此cǐ。

a> What is firmly planted cannot be uprooted; what is tightly embraced cannot be stripped away. Descendants will thereby sacrifice without cease.

b> Cultivate it in yourself and your virtue (de) will be authentic; cultivate it in the family and it will have virtue in abundance; cultivate it in the village and its virtue will endure; cultivate it in the state and its virtue will be rich; cultivate it through the world and it virtue will spread everywhere.

c> Hence see people through oneself; see families through your family; see villages through your village; see states through your state; see the world through the world. How do I know the world is thus? By means of this.

A modern classroom translation, with labeled subsections for study.

© 2010, 2016, 2019 Robert Eno. Freely available for personal use and not-for-profit educational settings. For other purposes, apart from fair use, copyright is not waived.