Qian Zi Wen - A Thousand Characters Classic

The Thousand Character ,ssay, DE.FGHI! Jian Zi -en, 9ian1iwen Chinese(, sen 8i mon...
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The Thousand Character Essay, .AQian Zi Wen (qianziwen) in andarin Chinese, sen!i"on (#a$anese), chon !ya "un (%orean)
Transcri&ed, Trans'ated and Annotated &y (athan )tur"an, *ntroduction
The Thousand Character Essay is the Chinese nation's earliest and most widespread basic literacy text still extant and in limited use today, mostly for calligraphy, personal improvement and preparation for study of classical Chinese. It was written by Zhou Xingsi !"#$%&'( of the )outhern dynasties' period *iang "ynasty, about ',%++ years ago. !ccording to legend, ,mperor -u ruled !" %+&$%./( of *iang sought a Chinese character literacy text for his son, and to this end had scholars select a thousand non$redundant characters from wor0 left behind by famed calligrapher -ang Xi1hi !" 2&'$ 2/3( to be put to rhyme by the widely learned and talented scholar Zhou Xingsi, who also wrote China's earliest extant example of a type of historical study 0nown as a Shi Lu or 45actual 6ecord4, the Liang Huangdi Shi Lu. Zhou now applied his heart and soul to the tas0 and created a full rhyming text of four$character couplets, eight characters per line in seven chapters, in only one night7 legend also has it that his hair and beard went completely white during those momentous hours. The imperial heir for whom it was written in turn grew up to close the circle by compiling the Wen Xuan. The resulting Qian1 Zi4 Wen2 or Thousand Character ,ssay was, in the centuries that followed, distributed throughout the Chinese$reading world and has ever since been a ma8or source of inspiration for calligraphers, due in part to its uni9ue feature of non$repeating characters, and for Chinese schoolteachers, tutors, students and general readers as well. This was true especially throughout the ages when a grasp of the classical language was the 0ey to success in traditional China. It was transmitted to :orea, where it was most influential and a basic part of literacy education well into modern times, ;apan, and <ietnam as well. Interestingly, the author's distance in time from his country's recorded beginnings was about the same as our own distance from western classical anti9uity. ;apan was still in its prehistory during his lifetime. !side from Zhou's passing on his historical and cultural 0nowledge in succinct, simple poetry, the wor0's richness in grammatical forms and patterns and its classical elements of style and ellipsis made it a basic wor0 to be mastered by all students in basic preparation for the traditional examination system in China, :orea and <ietnam, once the 0ey to an official career. In &+th century )outh :orea it was the basis of Chinese character =an8a( literacy education right down to the mid '3/+s. The necessary movement toward the vernacular written language in early &+th century China naturally moved the Qian Zi Wen out of the educational mainstream and brought extensive criticism of it and of other traditional literacy texts, such as the Three Character Classic San Zi Jing and =undred >ames Bai Jia Xing, due to their outdated ideology and general irrelevance to modern living and thought and to a certain degree of inherent difficulty. ?asically, the lexical items and structures weren't entirely relevant to the needs of modern life, and in the case of the Thousand Character ,ssay the characters occured only once, unli0e a modern instructional program which builds on and cycles the content over and over at higher levels. @f course, there was plenty of repetition in the rote memori1ation process. It was up to the teacher to expnad, or for the student to get ade9uate practice through self study and daily life. 4"ifficult to remember, easily forgotten4 was a common criticism of Chinese character literacy training for children in modern times based on the traditional primers such as these. )till, accumulated wisdom stands7 why read =omer, <irgil, or @vid# Aust we reinvent ourselves and relearn constantly, the hard way, the lessons of long ago# The wisdom and relavency of much of the Thousand Character ,ssay and of ancient China is startling in its clarity today, most clearly in its emphasis on the value of time and on the development of personal character, on doing what we now call 4the right thing4. !nd they are a rewarding introduction to the legends of early China and the Chinese view of the cosmos and life. The seven chapters deals with aspects of the world, nature, history, geography, society, and individual conduct while presenting, for practice, a basic set of characters at the core of the moral and intellectual world view of
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The Thousand Character ,ssay, DE.FGHI! Jian Zi -en, 9ian1iwen Chinese(, sen 8i mon... Bage & of 2C
traditional China. @f course some of the content is superstitious, perhaps oppressive, or undemocratic, or gender biased by today's standards, but that is why a teacher is needed, to provide the historical understanding of the past, of its areas of dar0ness and ignorance, and place it in a constructive and progressive present context. I have made extensive use of an illustrated modern N? Chinese text and introductory study notes published in China, edited by Xu =airong, in the Zhongguo Aengxue Tushuo series from =uaxia Chubanshe, ?ei8ing, &++'. It is apparently based on the very earliest commentary by the obscure *i Xian of the >orthern -ei. The simplified characters add a certain charm as well, har0ing bac0 to an earlier time in the development of the Chinese language. It has been especially helpful in resolving the the differences between various texts I've seen in print and on the internet. The little =uaxia text, repleat with charming s0etches that bring the text to life, also includes the other primers I have mentioned. The copy I have suffers only from a very( few mista0es in pinyin transcription mostly nKng finals, probably typos in the first edition. !lso, it duplicates a few characters that are now represented by a single simplified graph. To avoid this in a few places I used the permissible traditional forms in brac0ets in the Xinhua Cidian( according to meaning, chec0ing everything including historical matters( with the other dictionaries old and new, including the :angxi Cidian, Aorohashi "ai0anwa, 6epublic$period Cihai, *v ,r0ui's Ci Ouan. Nuoyu Cidian, Zhong$6i "acidian, 6icci Institute )ino$5rench "ictionary and others. It is a bargain at '+rmb &++& price(, I)?> /$%+C+$&%C.$3. =ighly recommended, poc0et si1ed for study at wor0 in the paddy while perched between the horns of your Chinese ox. @ne of the above traditional primers, the Three Character Classic, or San Zi Jing, a wor0 of the '+th$'2th century )ong "ynasty, has been selected by the Pnited >ations as part of the world heritage of children's literature. I hope that you en8oy these pages and your study of traditional Chinese and China through the Qian Zi Wen. The time will be well spent. !s the text tells us, in paraphrase, 4an inch of time is more valuable than a foot of 8ade.4 To 9uote 5ran0lin, at the dawn of the !merican republic, ',2++ years later, 4if you treasure life, then treasure time, for time is the stuff of life itself.4 >oteM ! N? Chinese text is completely up7 unfortunately I produced it myself. ?rac0ets around a tone number indicate tone sandhi during reading aloud in normal modern Aandarin speech. I use the letter v for the umlauted u as in l 4 meaning 4law4 or the six Oang notes of the musical scale. -ang Xi1hi, Zhou Xingsi and all the calligraphers who have come since are a tough act to follow, so my apologies in advance. >B)
Cha$ter +
tian+ di, -uan. huan/., yu0 zhou, hon/. huan/+.

The sky was black and earth yellow; space and time vast, limitless. >otesM Xuan2 here means blac0, as in !uan2sai4, a foreboding name for the Nreat -all. "u#$hou4 is now a common term for outer space, the cosmos, all creation. "u# means the space around us, $hou4 is time eternal. Hong2 huang1 refers to the fluid, plastic, chaotic condition of the primordial state before the structuring of the world, as used in Chinese in -u Cheng'eng's 4Chinese Nenesis4 in the begining of his famed 'Lth century novel 4;ourney to the -est4. It is interesting to compare that poetic account to @vid's own interpretation of the Nree0 creation in his Aetamorphoses7 there are many similarities.
ri, yue, yin/. ze,, chen. -iu, 'ie, zhan/+.

Sun high or low, moon full or parsed; with stars and lodges spread in place. >otesM "ing2 means full, refering to the moon7 $e4 refers to the sun's inclination. Chen is the sun, moon and stars. Xiu4 here, a rare literary reading, is commonly pronounced su4 in modern Chinese. It is the character for the star lodges, or Chinese constellations, &C of them in ancient Chinese astronomy.
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The Thousand Character ,ssay, DE.FGHI! Jian Zi -en, 9ian1iwen Chinese(, sen 8i mon... Bage 2 of 2C
han. 'ai. shu(0) wan/0, qiu+ shou+ don/+ can/..

old arrives then heat once more; !utumn"s harvest, Winter"s store. >otesMThe ancestors of the Chinese people were systematically cultivating rice and millet over .,%++ years ago, with a grasp of the seasonal timing of planting and reaping. @ne site, Tao#he2 %u#du4 in Zhe8iang Brovince has produced evidence of rice cultivation /,%++ years ago, the oldest such record on earth. Chinese farmers very early on used the lunar calendar, 0nown as the agrarian calendar, nong2 li4, to time their activities, using its &. periods.
run, yu. chen/. sui,, '1, '10 tiao. yan/..

#$tra days round out the years; scale in tune with sun and spheres. >otesM &un4 yu2 refers to the lunar year being about ten days shorter than the time of the a complete 8ourney around the sun. The Chinese added extra months, run4 yue4, to compensate, often lengthening the year. The bamboo pitch pipe played '& notes, six of them high, called l 4 and considered Oang force, and six low, 0nown as l # and considered to reflect Oin energy. These corresponded to the twelve months of the year. In addition, the wind and soundwaves from the flute could be used for divination according to Oang and Oin, by scattering ashes.
yun. ten/. zhi, yu0, 'u, !ie. wei. shuan/+.

louds soar up to end in rain; the dew congeals to morning frost. >otesM ! very succinct and clear description, for the late %th century, of the physical processes involved, what meteorologists would now call the behavior of an adiabatic mass lifted into colder air under unstable conditions high lapse rate, or rate of temperature decrease per unit of height(, resulting in faster and faster lifting, further condensation and rain. The night's dew free1es with morning's cold. It is also explained as the sublimation of energies of the cultivated ;un1iren.
!in+ shen/+ 'i, shui0, yu, chu+ 2un+ /an/+.

%old is born in the &iver 'i; (ade comes from )unlun"s vault. >otesM The ancient Chinese panned for gold in running streams as prospectors still do. :unlun probably refers to the :unlun mountains, where the legendary ;ade Bool "ao2chi# in Tibet, home of the fairies and the Jueen Aother of the -est, Xi1'ang2(u# of ancient legend.
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The Thousand Character ,ssay, DE.FGHI! Jian Zi -en, 9ian1iwen Chinese(, sen 8i mon... Bage . of 2C
!ian, hao, !u, que+, zhu+ chen/+ ye, /uan/+.

! sword is styled *#$calibur*; a pearl, the *%leam of +ight*. >otesM The Chinese 4,xcalibur4, )u4*ue1, was the legendary 8ade sword of +ou#Jian4, #$.L%?C(, the 0ing of "ue4 during the )pring and !utumn period, ?C //+$./L. !ccording to one legend, it was given by the Aystery Nirl, !uan2n #, an unbeatable swordswoman and transformation of the Jueen Aother of the -est. =e used it to avenge defeat and con9uer his arch rival, ,u1Cha4- the 0ing of Wu2. It has long refered to any 8ade sword, etc. The 4Nleam of >ight4 or ye4guang1 was a famed legendary pearl, once, according to superstition, the eye of a whale, also refered to as ye4(ing2$hu1.
/uo0 zhen+ 'i0 nai,, cai, zhon/, !ie, !ian/+.

,earest fruit are pears and apples; fine crops mustard, ginger. >otesM Li# meaning 4pear4, the second most common surname after Zhang1 with the 4bow4 radical(, in ancient times also refered to the peach. !side from the mustard plant itself, the seeds were of course used for seasoning food. Ninger is valued as an ingredient, spice and as a medicinal herb, useful in treating hypertension and other illnesses.
hai0 -ian. he. dan,, 'in. qian. yu0 -ian/..

Sea is saline, streams sublime; fish school below, birds flock on high. >otesM .an4 meaning clear or pure here, as opposed to saline, is also used as well li0e 4sweet4 as the opposite of 4dry4, in reference to alcoholic drin0s. Lin2 literally means 4scale s(4 but here refers to fish in general, and yu# 4feather s(4 is used the same way to mean birds. This concludes the first chapter of the Qian1 Zi4 Wen1, which begins with the heavens and earth and progresses to common 0nowledge about nature.
Cha$ter .
'on/. shi+ huo0 di,, niao0 /uan+ ren. huan/..

,ragon -aster, .ire )ing; /ird 0fficial, 'ord of -en. >otesM These are four of China's earliest rulers and officials7 they vary according to the many legends. They were perhaps chieftains of small tribal alliances of hamlets. The 4"ragon Aaster4 long2 shi1, or, 4"ragon$sent Aaster4 long2 (ing4 shi1 was none other than ,u2 Xi1, also called Tai4 Hao4, depicted with a sna0e$li0e body and human face, who legendarily devised the ?a Nua trigrams of heaven and earth( and taught his followers how to ma0e nets and to fish, hunt, and raise cattle. Huo# .i4, the 45ire ,mperor4 was called Sui4 &en2, and true to his title he taught the people, legend has it, how to ma0e fire by drilling into wood and how to boil rice. Then there is the later 4Nlorious literally, /la(e( ,mperor4, or "an2 .i4, better 0nown as the illustrious Shen2 0ong2, often depicted as a man with the head of an ox. "uring this reign humanity learned how to ma0e plows and cultivate crops, and he or the period( is credited in legend with discovering medicinal plants and ma0ing the first medicines. Chi1 "ou2 was chief of a dar0$s0inned tribe of the north, and gave man0ind the first weapons of war. ?oth he and
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The Thousand Character ,ssay, DE.FGHI! Jian Zi -en, 9ian1iwen Chinese(, sen 8i mon... Bage % of 2C
)hen >ong were defeated by the Oellow ,mperor, or Huang2 .i4, named Hsuan1 "uan2, first to be shown as completely human in form. Chi1 "ou2 was 0illed on the plain of Zhuo1 Lu4 in today's central =ebei Brovince. The Oellow ,mperor used the magnetic compass to navigate through Chi Oou's man$made fog and defeat him. Shao# Hao4, the 4?ird @fficial4 or 4?ird$ sent @fficial4, niao# (ing4 guan1, was son of Hsuan1 "uan2, the Oellow ,mperor, born of his wife Lei2 Zu#. =e was so named for his revision of Tai4 Hao4's the above 5u Xi's( metaphysical system, the Trigrams, or Tai4 Hao4 ,a#, and his name was Zhi47 titles include Jin1 .e2 Wang2- Jin1 Tian1 shi4- and Qiong2 Sang1 shi4 among others. &en2 Huang2 was the last of one grouping of legendary 4Three ,mperors4, namely Tian1 Huang2- .i4 Huang2, and &en2 Huang2. These correspond to tian1di4- ren2, the san1 cai2, or 4Three !chievements4 of creationM heaven, earth and people. They also often correspond to ,u2 Xi1Sui4 &en2, and Shen2 0ong2. The ?oo0 of Boems, )hang )ong( says tian1 (ing4 !uan2 niao#- )iang er2 sheng1 shang1, and here is one of the more interesting talesM 4=eaven mandated Xuan2 0iao#,4 Jueen Tun1 "a4, the blac0bird wife of .i4 1u4(, 4down it came, gave birth to )hang4. )o born from a royal egg was Zi# Xie4 who is the grand ancestor of both the much, much later )hang "ynasty and the clan of Confucius, albeit myriad generations later(7 .i41u4, father of Xia "ynasty founder Oao the Nreat, was son of Zhuan Xu the Oellow ,mperor's grandson(. *egendary figures are often depicted in art as blac0 birds or with crow$li0e attributes, magpie heads, etc. The many legends differ as to names, groupings, deeds etc. The Wu .i4 or 45ive ,mperors4 vary by account but are typically =uang "i, his grandson Zhuan Xu, "i :u, Oao&, )hun, and Ou2.
shi0 zhi, wen. zi,, nai0 3u. yi+ shan/+.

The beginning of writing; what"s more, wearing clothes. >otesM In China's remote past, before writing, people 0ept records by tieing 0nots in strings or ropes. !ccording to legend, writing originated with Cang2 Jie2, an official of the Oellow ,mperor. 5urthermore, legend also has it that Lei2 Zu#, wife of the Oellow ,mperor, taught the people how to raise sil0worms, cultivate and spin sil0, and so textile clothing replaced the animal s0ins and tree leaves worn up to that time.
tui+ wei, ran/, /uo., you0 yu. tao. tan/..

1ielding the throne, passing the land; rulers of 1u2, Tao2 and Tang2. >otesM "ao2, chieftain of the communities of Tao2 and Tang2, and Shun4, chieftain of the principality of "u2- or you#yu2- are famed for selflessness7 they willfully gave up their reigns to successful and worthy men. Shun4 is therefore often called "u2 Shun4 or simply "u2. !s for "ao2, he was originally made chief of Tao2 "ingtao in modern )handong( and expanded his rule to Tang2, nowadays *infeng in ad8oining )hanxi(, so he is also 0nown in history as Tao2 Tang2 or Tang2 "ao2. !ccording to legend, "ao2 passed on his throne to Shun4, who in turn abdicated to "u#, the founder of the Xia4 "ynasty in the &'st Century ?C, beginning the tradition of hereditary succession to the throne with his son Qi#.
diao, "in. 3a. zui,, zhou+ 3a+ yin+ tan/+

&elieve the people, right the wrong; as did Zhou3 .a3, as did 1in34Tang3. >otesM Zhou1 ,a1 in the original text refers to Ji1 ,a1, original personal name of the man who became ,mperor Zhou1 Wu# Wang2, who crushed the tyrant Zhou4, evil last ruler of the )hang "ynasty and founded the Zhou', China4s longest lived dynasty, around ''++?C, roughly contemporary with :ing "avid of ancient Israel. Ji1, his surname, had also been that of the
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The Thousand Character ,ssay, DE.FGHI! Jian Zi -en, 9ian1iwen Chinese(, sen 8i mon... Bage L of 2C
Oellow ,mperor, ta0en from the nearby Ji1 6iver. "in1 Tang1 refers to the much earlier destruction of Jie2, evil last ruler of the Xia "ynasty, by Cheng2 Tang1, and the later's founding of the )hang "ynasty around 'L++ ?C. ?ad :ings ;ie& and Zhou. are the notorious pair of evil last rulers, the first to lose the Aandate of =eaven, celebrated in many popular sayings such as 4;ie&'s dog bar0ed at righteousness,4 and Zhou.'s consort, .a2 Ji# is reviled for her wild ban9uets, lust, cruelty and excesses. The tenth ruler of )hang, 2an2 1ang1 moved his capital to "in1, hence in history and literature the )hang is often called Oin or Oin$ )hang, and its founder is often 0nown as Oin' Tang' or )hang' Tang'.
zuo, chao. wen, dao,, chui. /on/0 $in/. zhan/+

5residing at court and asking the Way; gracious yet lordly, discuss and decide. >otesM Wen4 here means 4en9uire, discuss in detail.4 !s for the )un1 $i#'s superior man's, worthy 0ing's( .ao, the -ay, the Zhong1 "ong1 "octrine of the Aean, Ch.'&( says /u4 /u2 $hi1 yu2- 3e4#5 yi# yu4 $hi1 yan16 )i 2 *i2 $hi4 ye#- sui1 sheng4 ren2 yi4 you4#5 suo# 7u4 $hi1 yan1M 4ordinary people lit. husbands and wives( in all their sillyness can come to 0now, or unwittingly demonstrate, most of it, but in its fine points there is much that even the sages still cannot explain. Chui2 gong#M graciously, humbly, condescendingly( with genteel dignity. 2ing2 $hang1 to discuss and clarify matters of the day, of state,(7 in later times, Tang, )ong( it became the name of a high office, councilor of state. BrecedentsM )hang Tang relied heavily on "i1 "in# and too0 his advice7 Zhou -u -ang appointed L # Shang4 to a high military post and empowered him to handle very grave matters. Confucius said that if anybody could fully explain the -ay to him some morning, he would be able to die satisfied that night.
ai, yu, 'i. shou0, chen. 3u. ron/. qian/+

With love he taught the dark and soiled; in submission, wild tribes. >otesM Li2 here means 4blac047 li2 shou# refers to the masses of common people engaged in agriculture as well as to two dar0er s0inned tribes, the Li2 and %iao2, then living in the >orth. In subse9uent times, li2 (iao2 has had the non$literal meaning of masses as well, so I believe that here li2 shou# is a 4shuangguanyu'4 meaning these dar0er peoples as well as the soiled, sunba0ed masses. The &ong2 and Qiang1 were two tribes to the west. Together these represent all the unschooled common fol0 of various ethnicity as well as the tribes surrounding China in Zhou times7 all the tribes in time pacified or otherwise brought around to China's civili1ed ways, to the way of the cultivated and correct Jun1$i# ren27 they add their land and talented men to the Chinese state.
-ia. er0 yi, ti0, shuai, &in+ /ui+ wan/.

.ar and near, they (oined as one; all followed, rallied to the king. >otesM =ere, !ia2 means 4far47 er# means 4near4. shuai4 means 4completely, all4 and 7in1 here means 4obeyed, submitted47 gui1 here has a similar meaning. ,mperor Zhou -u -ang's son Cheng2 Wang2 and grandson 1ang1 Wang2 each ruled with diligence and reason at court, provided relief and assistance far and near and established a great reign over the world7 hence the two periods together are famously called Cheng2 1ang1 Zhi1 Zhi4, 4The 6ule of Cheng and :ang4.
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The Thousand Character ,ssay, DE.FGHI! Jian Zi -en, 9ian1iwen Chinese(, sen 8i mon... Bage / of 2C
"in/. 3en/, zai, zhu., &ai. !u+ shi. chan/.

The phoeni$ calls from bamboo stand; White pony gra6es pasture land. >otesM /eng4 is the male of the legendary bird of good fortune, the Bhoenix, that feeds on bamboo tips7 huang2 is the female(. Bai2 )u1, white pony, is an allusion to the lines 4;iao 2( 8iao2 bai& 8u', shi& wo2 chang& miao&4 in the ?oo0 of Boems, Xiao2 Oa&, ?ai& ;u'M 4)par0ling is the white pony, feeding in our fields.4( These sentences state that only under the conditions of universal peace and abundance can these scenes occur. They also serve as a metaphor, signifying cultivated and good people peacefully serving the illustrious 0ing.
hua, &ei, cao0 "u,, 'ai, !i. wan, 3an/+

Wise teachings dress each plant and tree; bounty everywhere we see. >otesM Hua4 is )iao4 hua4 the 0ing's civili1ing guidance and cultural enlightenment of his people. 7ei4 here means to 4dress, blan0et, cover47 lai4 has a the meaning here of noun uQc(4benefit s(4. This concludes Chapter & of the Qian1 Zi4 Wen2, from the virtuous governance of the ancient emperors to the might, greatness and widespread abundance that they brought forth.
Cha$ter 0
/ai, ci0 shen+ 3a,, si, da, wu0 chan/.

These bodies and this hair of ours; .our %reat Things, .ive 5rinciples. >otesM +ai4 here is an initial grammatical particle. Si4 .a4 is the ?uddhist notion of 45our ,lements4, ,arth, -ind, 5ire and -ater. The constituent parts and functions of the body each correspond to one of these. 5lesh, bones and hair belong to ,arth, body fluids to -ater, body temperature to =eat, and internal circulation to -ind. !s for the -u2 Chang&, these are the Confucian 45ive <irtues4M ren2, benevolence, human 0indness7 "i4, righteousness, 8ustice7 Li#, ritual, propriety7 Zhi4, wisdom, intelligence, and Xin4, truthfulness and trust. These are the traditional Confucianist regulating principles of social morality. !s the bodily functions are governed by the former, our words and deeds are to be controlled in accordance with the latter.
/on/+ wei. !u+ yan/0, qi(0) /an(0) hui0 shan/+

,o honor to your upbringing; how dare one inflict a wound7 >otesM =onor your father and mother and the loving sacrifices they made in bearing and raising you. -ho dares harm their own body, an act of utmost disrespect to one's parents and their 0indnessR The Xiao4 Jing1 or Classic of 5ilial Biety says, in its
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The Thousand Character ,ssay, DE.FGHI! Jian Zi -en, 9ian1iwen Chinese(, sen 8i mon... Bage C of 2C
opening chapter discourse between Zeng1i and Confucius, 4Shen1 ti# /a4 /u1- shou4 $hi1 /u4 (u#- 7u4 gan4#5 hui# shang1!iao4 $hi1 shi4#5 ye#4M 4Oour body, hair and s0in were received from your father and mother, so don't you dare harm yourself7 that is the beginning of filial piety4. This includes the Confucian prohibition against wounding, tatooing, self mutilation, and excessive, dangerous, deleterious, undignified and or harmful behavior. In its strictest expressions it extended to the cutting of hair and fingernails.
n10 "u, zhen+ !ie., nan. -iao, cai. 'ian/.

%irls admire the chaste and pure; boys, the talented and good. >otesM Ooung women loo0 up to the true wives and chaste maidens in stories who are the traditional models of virtue, while young men see0 to imitate illustrious, talented, and good men. %u4 and !iao4 can both mean 8ursue- chase- yearn /or as well as ad(ire- loo3 u8 to- e(ulate- i(itate. 4! friend who is upright, sincere, and 0nowledgable is truly to be valued4 said Confucius, in !nalects. Countless stories tell of model lie4 n #, loyal women who remained chaste in widowhood or chose death to betrayal of their marriage vows, such as %eng4 Jiang1 0 # who legendarily 4cried down4 a segment of the Nreat -all 3u1 dao# chang2 cheng2 to remove her husband's bones and then drowned herself in the ?ohai ?ay of Zhili( to avoid marrying the ,mperor Jin )hi =uang.
zhi+ /uo, &i, /ai0, de. nen/. "o, wan/,

!ware of wrong, you must then change; mind the limits of your strength. >otesM 4>othing is more more obvious than the hidden, nothing more visible than the miniscule4. The "octrine of the Aean, Ch '(. Zeng1i reflected on his failures daily !nalects(. -ith every new day comes a chance to reform... although Zhou was an old country, it was able to restore itself. The ?oo0 of Boems, Nreater @des, -en -ang( 9uoted in the Nreat *earning Chapter &(. de2 here means (atching- 7e/itting7 neng2 here means a7ility and is similar to the ,nglish modal auxilliary can in that it covers broad potential, including mood of physical ability as well as other those of possibility and permission. 4If I said I could not lift Aount Tai over the >orth )ea,4 said Aencius to :ing Xuan -ang of Ji, 4could not would really mean due to a lac3 o/ a7ility. ?ut if I said I couldn't brea0 a long stic0 into smaller pieces, it would simply reflect unwillingness to let it happen.4 In other words, 0now what you can accomplish or change and what you can't, for whatever reason. ?e self reliant but don't overreach yourself7 don't promise what you cannot do. The )an Zi ;ing tells children of the one$time rascal "ou Oanshan, .ou4 "an4 Shan1, who, still unmarried and childless after an early life of wrongdoing and wasting his family's fortune, suddenly grasped the ephemeral and treasured nature of an existance and managed to see the error of his ways. =e too0 in and taught orphaned boys and produced five famous scholars, achieving fame and redeeming his parents' good name.
wan/0 tan. &i(0) duan0, "i. shi, !i0 chan/.

&efrain from talk of others" faults; don"t rest upon your strengths. >otesM ! person who does so will never advance. !esop's fable of the Tortoise and the =are comes to mind. !ccording to *ao Zi, 4! self$glorifying person cannot be considered successful, and will not advance further.4
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The Thousand Character ,ssay, DE.FGHI! Jian Zi -en, 9ian1iwen Chinese(, sen 8i mon... Bage 3 of 2C
-in, shi(0) 2e0 3u,, qi, yu, nan. 'ian/,

Words must stand the test of proof; good deeds are hard to weigh. >otesM 9Xin49 refers to the reliability of words7 they re9uire the test of time and experience. Nood deeds, however, are obvious, precious, difficult to measure. 4!ctions spea0 louder than words4. *ao1i says 4?eautiful words cannot be believed7 words to be trusted are not beautiful4. The Nreat *earning says Chapt 2( yu# guo2 ren2 )iao4- $hi# yu2 !in4, 4in dealings with your countrymen, the goal is trust.4
"o, &ei+ si, ran0, shi+ zan, /ao+ yan/.

-o6i wept that the silk was dyed; in the 5oems the lamb was glorified. >otesM )eeing dyed sil0 made Ao1i thin0 of how the body's original purity and goodness are adulterated, never to return to their original state, 8ust as the dye would never wash out of the sil0. Shi1, 8oe(4s5 refers to the Shi1 Jing1 or ?oo0 of Boems, in which the poem gao1 yang2 praises the austere purity of some legendary local officials who had su1 si1 $hi1 )ie2, 4the purity of plain sil04.
!in/0 -in/. wei. -ian., 2e, nian, zuo, shen/,

#$alted go only the wise and good; control desire, achieve sagehood. >otesM Controlling desire here refers to following moral precepts and rules. The two sentences can be summed up in the exhortation )ian4 !ian2 er2 si1 *i2, 4behold the wise and good, and order your thoughts accordingly4.
de. !ian, "in/. 'i,, -in/. duan+ &iao0 zhen/,

8irtue built, good name made; figure upright, bearing straight. >otesM This emphasi1es the relationship between internal, or personal, rearing and cultivation and the external, or public, achievement of a good name and fame as opposed to its much more common variant, notoriety(. ! saying goesM shen1 $heng4 7u2 8a4 ying4#5 $i# !ie2, 4If you stand upright, you need not fear the words of others4. Li4 shen1- !ing2 dao4- yang2 (ing2 yu2 hou4 shi4, 4establish yourself, follow the path, build up your name for future generations,4 says the Classic of 5ilial Biety, yi4#5 !ian# /u4 (u# 4so as to glorify your father and mother4. )imilarly, the ?oo0 of Boems, Nuo 5eng, -ei 5eng, Ji !o( says 9uoted in Chapter 2 of the Nreat *earning(, you4#5 /ei# )un1 $i#- ru2 *ie1 ru2 $uo4- ru2 $ho2 ru2 (o2- se4 !i1 !ian4 !i1- he4 !i1 !uan4 !i1- you4#5 /ei# )un1 $i#- $hong1 7u4 3e# !uan1 !1, 4There is an elegant fine young prince, as if chiselled, as if cut, as if ground, as if polished7 sung of, celebrated, hailed, proclaimed7 there is an elegant young prince, at the end never to be forgotten4R
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The Thousand Character ,ssay, DE.FGHI! Jian Zi -en, 9ian1iwen Chinese(, sen 8i m... Bage '+ of 2C
2on/+ /u0 chuan. shen/+, -u+ tan/. -i. tin/+

The empty valleys broadly resonate; in hollow halls wisely officiate. >otesM In the earliest commentary extant today, from *i Xian of the >orthern -ei, the empty valleys refer to an ancient story from the )pring and !utumn period in which a prince unfilally ran off into the wilderness valleys of At 5u to ma0e his name heard. Instead of fame, he was fatally lost amidst echoes and trees, and his searching father the :ing set fire to the woods out of frustration and in hope of leading him bac0, thus sealing his fate. The lesson is that your place as a prince is in the palace, studying and achieving perfection as a son and brother, then spea0ing and ruling clearly7 your name is formed inside the family, then rises in the world. *iteral meanings of ting1 are listen- 8reside o er- to )udge- to go ern- to rule- o//iciate- and here the meaning is to s8ea3- to rule. Xi2 here means care/ully6 'ith clarity6 clearly- in a studied and 'ise (anner- re/lecting 8er/ect culti ation. The characters for hollowness and emptiness, abstruseness, add a ?uddhist dimension, connoting the emptiness and illusory nature of worldly things, high and low. Sheng1 also refers to the ,mperor's wor0s and edicts, name etc, resounding far off in the wilderness. The ,mperor's filial piety. Nain the hearts and minds of the world by serving your royal ancestors. !nother analogy between nature and society7 how to behave in the halls and vast chambers of power, as teacher of all tribes of men and universal giver of laws. !ll tribes of men everywhere depend on the @ne's )on of =eaven's( perfection, his filial piety in particular. Conversely, bad news travels fast down among the people7 what goes around comes around, so serve your elders and ancestors, spea0, listen, reflect, study the classics and chant sutras, live and rule carefully in pursuit of perfection. This ties into the next line.
huo, yin+ e, !i+, 3u. yuan. shan, qin/,

alamity"s caused by evil stored; blessings result as good"s reward. >otesM Calamity is brought about through the accumulation of repeated acts acts of evil7 bounties and 8oys happen are fated( because of many years of good deeds and perfect conduct. This is the ?uddhist notion of "in1 guo#, fatal cause and effect, and that of "in1 yuan2 the words are contraposed in the lines( in accord with our stored deeds. >ot that the Chinese were without such ideas7 proper 0ingly behavior particularly in filial obeisance( was long before lin0ed to the avoidance of disaster and the achievement of harmony. -hen the Jian Zi -en was written, ?uddhism, along with Confucianism and "aoism, was already one of the 4Three Nreat Teachings,4 having been introduced from India about two to three centuries earlier during the ,astern *ater( =an "ynasty, when systematic religious "aoism had also come into being out of older beliefs. Tantric ?uddhist amuletic chants and charm formulas of sans0rit(.harani tuo&luo&ni& in Chinese(, for maximi1ing one's account of good and minimi1ing one's balance of evil, appeared in China as early as the 2rd cenury !". They coexisted and syncreti1ed blended( harmoniously for the most part in the *iang state at the time of Zhou Xingsi's writing, with Confucianism dominant. The ethical system of Confucius did yet not have a large formal and exclusive metaphysical system, as was later created in the >orthern )ong, at its roots. It could probably coexist with any ideological or metaphysical basis, anything that has people sharing the same values7 here we see a ?uddhist precept adding a new dimension to the foundation of Confucian ethics. ,mperor *iang -u "i, who ordered the Jian Zi -en created, patroni1ed ?uddhism heavily and had state monasteries, 0nown as Liang2 Si4, or *iang Temples built, forseeing the Tang 46estored Zhou4 during her rule( ,mpress -u's fren1ied and extravagent building of )tate Temples and prosyleti1ing of ?uddhism nearly two centuries later. Zhou Xingsi could be expected to say something about an important ?uddhist teaching in a wor0 called for by such a 0ing, who late in his life actually too0 vows as a bon1e. It was during the *iang, shortly after the Jian Zi -en's creation that the Tian1 Tai2 ?uddhist sect Tendai in ;apanese( was founded, on the Tian Tai mountain range in Zhe8iang7 Chi4 Cheng2, mentioned below in this wor0, is one of its pea0s. The ;apanese later named At !0agi, in present$day Nunma Brefecture, after it. 4)tate$established Temple4 building apread, first to :orea and then to ;apan and was important in the development and spread of the very early ;apanese state beginning on record with )homu Tenno's edict in the Cth century !". ?uddhism was also very strong in the )outhern "ynasty *iang's contemporary >orthern -ei "ynasty7 this >orthern and )outhern "ynasties period left many stri0ing and priceless ?uddhist relics and wor0s of art.
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The Thousand Character ,ssay, DE.FGHI! Jian Zi -en, 9ian1iwen Chinese(, sen 8i m... Bage '' of 2C
chi0 &i, 3ei+ &ao0, cun, yin+ shi, !in/,

! foot of (ade is no treasure; an inch of time is to fight for. >otesM Time is life itself, the very unit of existance. Time is money. -e struggle to meet a deadline7 time is our lives flowing by never to return. Aarlowe's 5aust, his time up, comes to mind, pleading for 4another minute, another second4. ?en8amin 5ran0lin said 4If you treasure life, then treasure time, for time is the very stuff of life itself.4 *u Xun's protagonist in 1uangren &i)i9, 4"iary of a Aadman4 and his delusion becomes interesting from the standpoint of time7 if time is life, and labor is time, then people eat each other when they eat the fruits of labor, exploit their time, charge interest and so forth. The Chinese word for ti(e here is guang1 yin1 or 4bright flash( yin energy4, li0e 4moonlight,4 rare and limited enough. Time is based on heaven's periods of brightness, around which people arrange their activities in life and government, in using the blessings and fertility of earth. !n old Chinese saying goes yi1 cun4 guang1 yin1- yi1 cun4 )in1- cun4 )in1 nan2 (ai# cun4 guang1 yin1M 4!n inch of time, an inch of gold, it's pretty hard for that inch of gold to buy an inch of timeR4 )till, today, it's time that people contend for.
zi+ 3u, shi, !un+, yue+ yan. yu0 !in/,

+ourish your father and serve your king; known as reverence and respect. >otesM Zi4 means to su88ort, with the sense of nourish here. Shi4 is verbal here, meaning to ser e as child or sub8ect, to wor0 on the parent or ruler's behalf, when alive, and to offer prayer when departed. "an2 here is verbal, as in the ancient meaning of yan2 /u4, revere your father, meaning revere and respect one's parents by supporting and worshipping them, for nothing is greater than their continuance of the male line, 40neeling before and nourishing your living parents is called yue'( yan2 Xiao ;ing, 3( and this reverent duty, 4yan4 is the model for service to one's ruler, respect, or )ing4. The ancient sages gently taught 4respect4 8ing.( through filial reverence and duty yan&(7 it came naturally to them. Oour mother gets your love and your ruler gets your respect7 only your father gets both. 5rom filial piety, the above yan& and 8ing., also comes $hong1, or, loyalty, which transfers to serving one's ruler. 5ulfilled filial duty to the father brings the blessed light of heaven, that to mother brings the fertile blessings of earth. 5rom the ;un1i's filial piety comes the 9uality of loyalty to ruler. @ne's character forms in the home with filiality, and then one's name rises in the world. This line and the next ones deal with the delicate balance between conflicting obligationsM private and public, family and )tate.
-iao, dan/+ !ie. 'i,, zhon/+ ze. !in, "in/,

,evoted to parents with all your strength; loyal to throne with your very life. >otesM The Xiao4 Jing1, Classic of 5ilial Biety, resolves this contradiction by viewing proper fullfilment of obligations in each role as a fulfillment of filial obligation7 each role in the feudal society has their own way. The emperor's filial duty, extending the rule of civili1ation and law to the world7 the feudal lord's filal obligation, 4high but not in danger, full but not overflowing,4 ie 0nowing limits and being cautious tp preserve status and wealth, see the next line(7 then the obligations of government ministers, lower officials, and finally those of commoners, followed by a detailed series of chapters on filial duty as the core of human activity and very specific instructions. 5ilial piety has its beginning in devotion to parents, its middle course in serving the ruler, its goal in li4 shen1, , establishing yourself and your good name, and illuminating your parents. 9Wu2 nian4 er2 $u#, 46emember your ancestorsR4 says Confucious in conclusion of Chapter ', 9uoting the ?oo0 of Boems, "u4 !iu1 )ue2 de2, 4don't forget their virtue4. 5ilial piety is the basis of the other obligations and duties for the Chinese people, the orientation of other duties and the entire ethical system.
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The Thousand Character ,ssay, DE.FGHI! Jian Zi -en, 9ian1iwen Chinese(, sen 8i m... Bage '& of 2C
'in. shen+ '10 &o., su, -in/+ wen+ qin/,4

'ike facing the deep, like treading thin ice; early to rise, warm and cool. >otesM @n cautionM The ?oo0 of Boems Xiao Oa, Xiao Ain( says $han4 $han4 )ing4 )ing4- ru2 lin2 shen3 yuan9, ru2 lv: bo2 bing3, 4,xcercise caution in ma0ing war, 'i2e standin/ on the &rin2 o3 a dee$ chas", 'i2e treadin/ on the thinnest ice4. 4They only see the first step, they can't imagine what comes next4 it continues7 wisdom for todays se9uential thin0ers, for those whom the world still calls logical men. This exhortation of caution and )in# shen4, guarding one's purity and integrity is 9uoted in the Classic of 5ilial Biety, The 5eudal *ord's 5ilial Biety( and !nalects C(, and is elliptically 9uoted in the text above as lin2 shen1 l # 7o2, an admonition to caution. Su4 !ing1 above is an elliptical form of a 9uote from the ?oo0 of Boems Xiao Oa, Xiao -an(M su9 $ing3 ye9 mei9- 'u2 tian4#5 er4#5 suo# sheng1, 45y e1enin/ in &ed, risin/ at "orn, don't disgrace the ones from whom you were born.4 , 5inally, 'en1 *ing4 is an elliptical form of dong1 'en2 er2 !ia4 *ing4, describing the duty of a child to 0eep their parents 4in winter, warm and summer, cool,4 from the Li# Ji4, or ?oo0 of 6ites Ju *i chapter,( a wor0 by Xiao "ai, 4"ai the Oounger,4 .ai4 Sheng4 at the end of the -estern former( =an. =is Pncle .ai4 .e2 0nown as 4"a "ai4, "ai the ,lder, wrote a longer wor0 but it has been lost.( The full 9uote is /an2 'ei2 ren2 $i# $hi1 li#- dong3 wen2 er2 $ia9 ;ing9, 4! proper thing for all children to do7 in winter, war"in/, in su""er, coo'in/4. The )an Zi ;ing tells children about the model nine$year old Huang2 Xiang1 of the ,astern =an who warmed his newly widowed father's bed in winter and fanned him in summer7 he went on to become a noted literary scholar and high official but he is celebrated chiefly for these acts of filial devotion. SXu =airong's little reader and the Xinhua Cidian supplementary index( show *ing4 for 4cooling4 but most other dictionaries, including the classic Taiwan and '3L' ?ei8ing Ci =ai, *u ,r0ui's Ci Ouan, Zhongwen "acidian, -ang Ounwu "a Cidian, and -ang *i's Nuoyu Cidian, '32L and ./, including '3C& re$edited L volume Taibei edition and even the Aorohashi "ai :anwa ;iten all agree on )ing4. The Aorohashi gives a note, 9uoting the ancient Ci =ui, that S9ing.S as in Swen&9ing.S is different in origin from S9ing&S the dynastic name and gives S9i$1hengS as the fan 9ie splice, indicating S9ing.S, but he still goes with the others in giving S8ing.S as the reading. The %an/-i Cidian says 4qi6!in/4 qie, qushen/, and cites it as that way in wen2 ;ing9and that sett'es it 3or "e as 4qin/,4. I thin0 that the popular S8ing.S was perhaps because of morphemic change, aveolar assimilation of this rare word that has been for so many centuries recited only in the collocation shown here, and seldom seen, let alone spo0en or heard in any other phonetic environment. Berhaps the 4correct4 pronunciation in isolation has finally been determined nowadays to have been 49ing4, in line with the Ci =ui and :ang Xi Cidian, or maybe it is pronounced that way in the dialect of power today. 4)erious linguistic wor0 is always descriptive, not prescriptive.4 Qing4 is what authoritative dictionaries in China and the latest Chinese$;apanese dictionaries are showing today.
si, 'an. si+ -in+, ru. son/+ zhi+ shen/,

'ike an orchid is this fragrance; like fresh pines, abundant, dense. >otesM si1 here is a demonstrative particle, similar to $he4 or $he4 yang4. These similies form a metaphor about the rewards of a person's proper moral conductM energetically following the way of filial piety and maintaining the highest levels of moral integrity will bring one's family good fortune in abundance, as well as the love, admiration and respect of the world.
chuan+ 'iu. &u, -i+, yuan+ chen/. qu0 yin/,

The river flows at endless pace; in deepest pool behold the face.
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The Thousand Character ,ssay, DE.FGHI! Jian Zi -en, 9ian1iwen Chinese(, sen 8i m... Bage '2 of 2C
>otesM Chuan1 means the great river of life, a metaphor for the generations, it never stops7 in the deep current by the riverban0 we can lean over and behold our face, and perhaps in it the face of older brother or sister, parents and grandparents we 0new. ! :orean )hi8o poem entitled 5ilial Biety, translated many years ago by :enneth 6exroth, tells of a scene li0e this, where a young man, having lost his father and older brother, pauses by still water and peers at his own reflection, and in his face he sees first his brother's face, and then his father's. *i0ewise our young loo0 up into our faces as parents and grandparents, uncles and aunts, modeling themselves on us. The text above continues to praise the path of filial piety, moving from self to past to those who will follow on7 one's being a model for children and grandchildren. @n a more metaphysical plane, 4Xiao# de2 chuan1 liu2- da4 de2 dun1 hua44 The "octrine of the Aean, Ch. 2+(. The system of the lesser properties can be seen in the flowing of rivers, that of the greater properties in heavy changes. Zhu Xi ''2+$'&++ !"( spo0e of this in terms of the principles of physical energies of the world, that create and nourish without mutual interference. The flow of rivers and the change of seasons belonging to the small properties, the creative, ultimate, and infinite forces of massive earth and high heaven, that support and enclose their realm of creation, belonging to the greater ones. Interestingly, the dun1 in dun1 hua4 extends to a term for the ultimate physical relations between husband and wife, dun1 lun2.
ron/. zhi0 ruo, si+, yan. ci. an+ din/,

Stand solemly and thoughtfully; speak with calm and dignity. >otesM These lines indicate the re9uired dignified, calm, fair and 0ind deportment in dealing with others. 46ong& 1hi24 is a contraction of 4rong& mao. 8u& 1hi24, facial expression and bodily manner, or, loo0s and bearing. 4*1en2 si3 3e# dao49, 4thin0 before spea0ing4 and *rong2 6hi<:= 3e# guan1 4be able to show your face and manner4 said Confucious in Chapter 3 of the Classic of 5ilial Biety. =is disciple Zi# +ong4 praised his teacher as being warm, 0indhearted, respectful, frugal and modest. These are personal 9ualities needed for dealing properly with people as above. Oour face reflects your ancestors so be dignified and proper and don't dishonor them. Confucius said in !nalects, 6en *i( that 4Jun1 $i# $hou1 er2 7u4 7i4- !iao# ren2 7i4 er2 7u4 $hou1,4 basically, 4The 8un1irenKbig$minded, princely person is open and warm to one and all in his dealings, is generous and does not see0 his own 0ind or consider his own gain7 the smallminded person thin0s first of his gain, see0s his own 0ind, is not generous, and is neither open nor warm to one and all in his dealings4 and also 4Jun1 $i# $hi1 yu2 tian1 !ia4 ye#- 'u2 di2 ye#- 'u2 (o4 ye#- yi4 $hi1 yu4#5 7i#4M 4In his dealings with the world, the 8un1iren is impartial7 righteousness is the only company he see0s4.
du0 chu+ chen/. "ei0, shen, zhon/+ yi. 'in/,

,iligence at start indeed is fine; completeness at ending, duly grand. >otesM Cheng2 here means 4surely, indeed.4 -hatever you do, be diligent at the start, create a fine beginning, but even more importantly carry through with all your energy to a perfect end, with utter thoroughness. The Chinese say bu2 yao9 you: tou2 wu2 wei:, 4don't ma0e a head beginning( without a tail end(47 in normal ,nglish, 4finish what you start4. This is a 1ery i"$ortant $rece$t in the Chinese cu'ture, tied to the importance of one's words matching one's deeds, the aforementioned !in4, and to cheng2, sincerity, integrity. 4+u4 $hi4 cheng2 'u2 !i24 says the Zhong1 "ong1, or, "octrine of the Aean Ch &L(, in a moving comparison to the creation of the world. ! saying goes 47u2 yao4 hu# tou2 she2 'ei#,4 literally 4don't ma0e a tiger's head with a sna0e's tail4M bear in mind your intent and overall concept and wor0 consistantly to your highest standard down to the smallest detail.
ron/. ye, suo0 !i+, !i. shen, wu. !in/,
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The Thousand Character ,ssay, DE.FGHI! Jian Zi -en, 9ian1iwen Chinese(, sen 8i m... Bage '. of 2C
%lorious works as the foundation, no limit to one"s reputation. >otesM -ith one's life based upon filial piety and the cultivation of virtue and moral power, there is no limit to how high one can go or how far one's reputation can spread. The Nreat *earning was 0nown in Zhou Xingsi's time only as a chapter of the ?oo0 of 6ites, but its admonition to $hi4 $hi1- cheng2 yi4- $heng4 !in1 !iu 1 shen1- *i2 Jia1- $hi4 guo2- 8ing2 tian1 !ia4 or, get 0nowledge, unify the will, rectify the heart, cultivate the self, order the home home, actually means, on one level, a unit of goverment in original context, as well as home(, rule the country, and finally, pacify the world, each step the foundation for the next, had been widely believed in for centuries. In the Classic o/ ,ilial 2iety Confucious ma0es very clear his concept of transference of good character traits from inside literally, one's parents and home, home, filial duty and chores( to outside service to society and government(7 filal pity transfers into loyalty to ruler, and brotherliness into deference to elders. ,ven being a good domestic coo0 is training for being an offical. !nd finally, Confucious argues strenuously, to Zeng1i in Chapter '% of this wor0, that simple obedience to father is >@T filial piety7 one must correct and censor one's father's mista0es, not obey blindly, 8ust as earlier emperors, 0ings and officials had official ombudsmen or 4remonstrating friends4 to hold them from ruining their countries with wrong$headedness.
-ue. you+ den/+ shi,, she, zhi. con/. zhen/,

Studies superior, step up to serve; be given your duties, (oin government"s work. >otesM If you are outstanding in studies, ie have the extra ability it ta0es, come forth for official service. ?e assigned to a post with important duties, and 8oin in administering the country. In !nalects Zi2 Zhang'( the disciple Zi# Xia4 says 4shi4 er2 you1 $e2 !ue26 !ue2 er2 you1 $e2 shi4M )uccessful in service, then study7 successful in study, then serve4.
cun. yi0 /an+ tan/., qu, er. yi, yon/0

!live, under a sweet pear tree; gone, in song of eulogy. >otesM The Chinese say 4gan1 tang2 yi2 ai44 to describe the memory left by a fine official who was beloved by the people. It comes from the story of Shao4 +ong1, The "u0e of )hao, or Zhou )haowang, named Shi4, a son of Zhou -enwang by a concubine. !fter -uwang subdued the last 0ing of )hang and established the Zhou, c.''++ ?C, Shi4 was invested as :ing of "an4, and made third$ran0 of five feudal ran0s( du0e, assisting .an4, the "u0e of Zhou, in military campaigns and extending Zhou rule. =e was then made &nd class du0e, or count, and was sometimes called Shao4 Bo2, famous for diligent administration of agriculture and for virtuous governance. =e legendarily lived and ruled under a Nantang tree, a sort of low, spreading pear tree, 8irus 7etalae/olia, a sort of shade$tree 0ing, and was beloved by the people, later reverently eulogi1ed in the ?oo0 of Boems )hao.nan&, Nan'tang&(.
yue, shu+ /ui, !ian,, 'i0 &ie. zun+ &ei+

-usic distinct by social rank, rites according to prestige. >otesM +ui1 )ian4, a term used in the classics referring to the five social ran0s, from )on of =eaven down to the commoners, literally 4high class highly valued( $ low class lowly valued(,4 with these terms also used for 9uality of things. $un1 7ei1 in parallel fashion has a similar meaning, literally 4respected $ loo0ed down upon4. )imilarly in Chinese a thing's 4high$low4 means its height, etc. These lines reflect the social ran0$based outloo0 of feudal society. !nalects ?a Oi( records that the *u official Ji4 Sun4 used 7a1 yi4, C octets, or L. musicians for his musical performances. Confucius saidM 4If that is sufferable,
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The Thousand Character ,ssay, DE.FGHI! Jian Zi -en, 9ian1iwen Chinese(, sen 8i m... Bage '% of 2C
what in the world is insufferable4# Shi4 3e2 ren4- shu2 7u4 3e2 ren4# The aforementioned Ji4 Sun4's famous problems, recorded in !nalects ;i. )hi.( left us with a common expression for domestic dischord or civil strife, !iao1 *iang2 $hi1 huo4, 4trouble inside the city walls4.
shan/, he.4 -ia, "u,, 3u+ chan/, 3u, sui.

The hi/her is $'easin/, the 'ower har"onious7 the hus&and 'eads and the wi3e acco"$anies. >otesM Chinese people traditionally used the notion of musical harmony to signify the ideal marital relationship. The ?oo0 of Boems Tang& "i.( saysM *i1 $i# hao4 he2- ru2 gu# se4 *in2, 4The wife with love of harmony, one pluc0s the 1ither, one the lute4. Thus the harmonious feelings betweens husband and wife are 0nown as *in2 se4 *ing2, or the 4,motion of a )tring "uet4. This phrase is also used to describe amity between older and younger siblings, as in the poem.
wai, shou, 3u, -un,, ru, 3en/, "u0 yi.

8utside, as teacher said you ou/ht7 at ho"e, the ru'es your "other tau/ht9 >otesM The story is told that Aencius, when a boy, often s0ipped class and neglected his boo0s. =is industrious mother, as a lesson, cut the wor0 off the shuttle of her busy loom and held the torn and useless half$woven cloth up before her idle son's eyes, to show him that an untrained mind was 8ust li0e that wasted cloth. Aencius got the lesson, applied himself to his boo0s and mastered the difficult readings.
zhu+ /u+ &o. shu+, you. zi(0) &i0 er.

To each uncle and every aunt; as if you"d been their own infant. >otesM The family has its own hierarchy in speech7 between parents and children, between elder and younger. Aencius *i& *ou&( said 4re2 ren2 *in1 *i2 *in1- $hang# *i2 $hang#- er2 tian1 !ia4 8ing27 4If children spo0e properly to parents, and younger to elder, there would be peace in the world4. This was one of the conditions of behavior between different members of a family that the tradional Chinese insisted on. These lines tell one to behave filialy toward parents' siblings, although only father's side is mentioned and was indeed more important in old China, and vice versa.
2on/0 huai. -ion/+ di,, ton/. qi, 'ian. zhi+

/rothers cherish each other; united in the blood they share. >otesM 1ong#, here means 4very4. The Tang poet Wang2 Wei2 wroteM 4! stranger all alone in a strange town,
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The Thousand Character ,ssay, DE.FGHI! Jian Zi -en, 9ian1iwen Chinese(, sen 8i m... Bage 'L of 2C
I thin0 of 0in when festivals come round7 5or brothers' news I rise to a high place, !nd everywere see ban9uets' empty space.4 This deeply moving poem has become very famous.
!iao+ you0 tou. 3en,, qie, "o. zhen+ /ui+

>n friendship each must do their share; *Qie mo7* the warning to beware. >otesM +uan1 Zhu#, a scholar official of the Three :ingdoms -ei "ynasty, also 0nown as the ao2 Wei4 related an anecdote about his studying with a friend named Hua2 Xin1, who left his place at the boo0s to get up and loo0 dreamily out the window at a passing fancy chariot. 4ru2 ;ie9 ru2 $uo4- ru2 $huo4 ru2 mo2R4 shouted Nuan Zhu to his errant friend, famously cutting away his empty part of the straw sitting mat. It is short for 9&u2 *ie4 ru2 (o29 as encountered above in this chapter, a phrase about polishing and refining oneself from the )hi ;ing, 9uoted in the Nreat *earning. This was a warning and an admonition to get bac0 to their common purpose or forget their friendship. 4"on't let your mind wander4.
ren. ci. yin0 ce,, zao, ci, 3u. 'i.

)indness, mercy, sympathy; ,on"t leave these in emergency. >otesM >o matter what the personal danger or need for expediency that might be involved, don't leave behind your feelings of loving 0indness and benevolence, mercy and pity7 don't be coldly expedient. In old China, people said 7u2 yao4 $ao4 ci4, 4"on't be rushed,4 or 4=aste ma0es waste4. ,ven in the most pressing of circumstances, don't fail to respect the basic moral rules.
!ie. yi, 'ian. tui,, dian+ $ei, 3ei0 2ui+

&ighteous, (ust, honest, retiring; though in failure, never lacking. >otesM ! person must be *i )ie2, prudent and righteous, $heng4 yi4, upright and 8ust, lian2 )ie2, honest and pure, and (odest and de/erential7 even in failure and utter poverty he can never be remiss in honoring and fulfilling these re9uirements. !nalects *i 6en( saysM )un2 $i# 'u2 $hong1 shi2 $hi1 )ian1 li# ren26 $ao4 ci4 7i4 yu2 shi4- dian1 8ei4 7i4 yu2 shi4 4The highminded person doesn't leave benevolence long enough to finish a bowl of rice. In danger and haste he honors it7 in failure and poverty, he honors it.4
-in/, !in/, qin/. yi,, -in+ don/, shen. $i.

+ature settled, feelings mild; heart aroused, the spirit tired.
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The Thousand Character ,ssay, DE.FGHI! Jian Zi -en, 9ian1iwen Chinese(, sen 8i m... Bage '/ of 2C
>otesM In modern Chinese, Xing4 )ing4 *ing2 yi4 means 4a 9uiet and easy disposition47 here, !ing4 )ing4 refers to the nature being regulated by and anchored to the various moral re9uirements7 benevolence, righteousness, 8ustness, trust, learning, shame, honesty, thrift, etc. !rousal of the heart here refers to the arousal of interest in an external ob8ect7 a person or a thing. -hen such a refined person is aroused, the inner spirit gets tired and weary from struggling to limit the drive and protect the mind.
shou0 zhen+ zhi, "an0, zhu. wu, yi, yi.

)eeping pure brings satisfaction; chasing things, the mind"s distraction. >otesM Breserving one's pure, heaven$sent original nature is the way to achieve true satisfaction7 pursuing material things and sensual pleasures will change, corrupt that original nature. Zhen1 refers to one's heaven$sent pure original nature. The ?oo0 of 6ites says in the ?oo0 of Ausic(M 4! person is born contented7 that is the way of heaven. 5eelings arise about ob8ects and the urge to actions, and these are the desires of that nature also, literally sexual desires(... one who( pursues evil without self regulation, mind lured to distraction and unable to resist, will be destroyed by the principles of heaven4.
!ian+ chi. ya0 cao+, hao0 !ue. zi, "i.

?old fast to your high sentiments; a fine position will come from this. >otes7 "a# cao1M your excellent morally cultivated sensibilities, highest sentiments and virtuous behavior from your training. )ue2 is an official post7 (i2 here means 4will follow, belong to, comeKresult from4. This concludes the third, and longest, chapter of the of the Jian Zi -en, which discusses the ways of cultivation of the the highminded, or 8un1i, ma0ing friends, conducting family life, and serving one's ruler.
Cha$ter ,
du+ yi, hua. -ia,, don/+ -i+ er, !in/+

!ncient capitals, gorgeous and grand; #ast, 'uoyang, and West, hang"an. >otesM The order follows that of the four directions, ,ast before -est,( not historical se9uence. Chang'an chang2 an1, the apostrophe shows that it is Schang anS and not Schan ganS(, now Xi'an in )haanxi shan# !i1 Brovince and 0nown in history as the =an 4!i1 )ing1,4 or 4-estern Capital4, was established as capital by ,mperor Nao Zu, -N :ao Tsu( named Liu2 Bang1, the dynastic founder of the -estern, or 5ormer =an "ynasty in &+L ?C. *uoyang, now in =enan Brovince and still 0nown as such, was established as 4dong1 )ing14 or 4,astern Capital4 by Liu2 Xiu1, ,mperor Nuang "i, -N :uang Ti( when he founded the ,astern, or *ater =an over two centuries later in &% !". These were thus the two capitals of China during the glorious =an "ynasy. The capital in Zhou Xingsi's time, at the writing of this wor0 during the )outhern "ynasties' *iang, sometimes called !iao1 liang2 after the real name of founder *iang -u "i, Xiao1 "an#(, was Jian4 1ang1, site of present day >an8ing, ;iangsu Brovince. Zhang1 Heng2 of the ,astern =an left us a literary wor0 of interest called Er4 Jing1 Zei2, about the two capitals. "ong8ing was also the name of other Chinese dynastic capitals7 in the >orthern )ong, :aifeng and in the alien ;in and *iao, *iaoyang. The ;in 4Xi8ing4 was "atong. "ong8ing is of course what the ;apanese in modern times began calling their ,do ?a0ufu's capitalM To0yo.
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The Thousand Character ,ssay, DE.FGHI! Jian Zi -en, 9ian1iwen Chinese(, sen 8i m... Bage 'C of 2C
&ei, "an/. "ian, 'uo,, 3u. wei, !u, !in/+

>n back -ount -ang, front, &iver 'uo; straddles &ivers Wei and @ing. >otesM To *uoyang's north bac0( is Aount Aang7 the city faces fronts on( the 6iver *uo. Thus it is literally 4Luo4 "ang2,4 or 4>orth of *uo,4 as the >orth ban0 of a river in China is the yang2. or sunlit side. )imilarly, the south side of a mountain is its yang2 side, respectively. ! saying goesM 4shan1 yang2- nan26 he2 yang2- 7ei#4 literally, 4Aountain Oang )outh, 6iver Oang >orth4. Chang'an stretches between the 6ivers -ei and ;ing. The ;ing is a tributary of the -ei, and the -ei in its turn is a tributary of the great Oang1i.
/on/+ dian, $an. yu,, 'ou. /uan+ 3ei+ !in/+

! swirl of palaces unwinding; view from buildings, fright from flying7 >otesM Balace after palace, winding around endlessly7 views from the towering buildings high enough to frighten one as if in flight. These lines describe the awesome splendor of the buildings of these two capitals.
tu. -ie0 qin. shou,, hua, cai0 -ian+ 'in/.

,epictions of the birds and beasts; painted fairies and spirits. >otesM ,ngraved, drawn or painted decorations, icons and murals on the walls, structural beams and rafters etc of ancient palaces, temples and official buildings were commonly depictions of dragons, phoenixes, white tigers, stor0s and other marvelous, often legendary creatures. !lso present were color paintings portraying gods, fairies, spirits, humans, and legendary figures and scenes, decorating walls, pillars, the insides of flying eaves etc.
&in/0 she, &an/, qi0, !ia0 zhan/, dui, yin/.

Third Quarters" curtains open wide, fine drapes on pillars to the side. >otesM The 7ing# she4, literally 4Third, or C$class, dormitory4 was the unit of rooms where the imperial concubines lived, its entrance at the front of the main palace. Its entrance curtains open outward, fine tapestried drapes bunched against two handsome vermilion pillars at the sides. !n account in the Han Wu# +u4 Shi4, 4)tories from =an -u "i's 6eign4 ,astern =an(, cited in the =uaxia reader by Xu and others, says that 4=an -u "i used pearl and 8ade$inlaid fine drapery7 inside, incense was offered to the statue s( of god s(.4 This, according to illustration in the little reader probably meant an incense altar with a heavy, ornate tripod and vessel full of ashes in which the stic0s were placed, and an elaborate table with food offerings before the li0eness es(.
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The Thousand Character ,ssay, DE.FGHI! Jian Zi -en, 9ian1iwen Chinese(, sen 8i m... Bage '3 of 2C
si, yan. she, -i., /u0 se, chui+ shen/+

Throwing ban;uets, lavish settings; playing flutes, percussion, strings. >otesM In the palace they indulged in entertainment with endless places set, with musicians playing drums and chimes, the long Chinese 1ither, and pipes. 4)ingers,long$sleeved dancers and musicians performed in pleasant weather and cold,4 a late Tang observer, the sharply satirical poet .u4 %u4 wrote in a1 /ang2 gong1 $ei2, cited in the =uaxia reader.
shen/, !ie, na, &i,, &ian, zhuan, yi. -in/+

!scending stairs, to #mperor; hats awhirl, as if the stars. >otesM The two classes of officials, 'en2 and 'u#, civil and military, mount the stairs to the platform of =eaven, to be admitted to the ,mperor's presence. The many hats indicate the presence of so many blac0 ceremonial hats, spar0ling li0e all of the stars in the night s0y as they bob and turn. ;ust as in ancient 6ome, the outstanding men and women of the day would become stars in the night s0y after death7 truly luminaries. 4!s many as the twin0ling bright stars are the vanity mirrors,4 "u wrote, cited above(7 he meant the myriad concubines and courtesans, with plots and tric0s and tric0s to match. The "octrine of the Aean Chapter &L( uses the image of the stars strung across the night s0y to convey the the infiniteness yet integrity of creation.
you, ton/+ /uan/0 nei,, zuo0 da. chen/. "in/.

&ight leads to the library, left, the scholars" dormitory. >otesM guang# nei4, literally the 4wide sanctum4 refered to the Imperial library7 cheng2 (ing2 The name of a =an period palace for high officials, literally 4riders of brightness,4 4illuminaries,4 etc7 their study and rest 9uarters. =ere we have progressed from the main palace to other palatial 9uarters7 the inner library collections and the outer stac0s and 9uarters for scholars, ministers of state and generals. The ostentatious and excessive buildings and surroundings probably seemed 9uite natural to them.
!i, !i. 3en. dian0, yi, !u, qun. yin/+

The legendary .en2 and ,ian:; stacks for use by famous men. >otesM /en dian refers to the san /en and 'u dian, legendary boo0s of early anti9uity, the san fen dealing with 5u Xi, )hen >ong and the Oellow ,mperor with a treatise on the Nreat -ay, passed along in the :ong !nguo Shang4 Shu1, the ?oo0 of =istory 7 both are mentioned in the Zuo Zhuan. Aarvelous and rare boo0s were 0ept in the inner sanctum or Nuang >ei of the library building, for use by Court personel, high ministers and their guests7 closer to the outside were the stac0s and facilities accessible to all officials and scholars. Qun "ing is a phrase still used in today's Chinese official press, meaning 4young lions4 or 4the brave and bold4, those idealistic ones, particularly youth, who are eager to serve.
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The Thousand Character ,ssay, DE.FGHI! Jian Zi -en, 9ian1iwen Chinese(, sen 8i m... Bage &+ of 2C
du, /ao0 zhon/+ 'i,, qi+ shu+ &i, !in/+

,u"s cursive script and Zhong"s print style, lac;uer books, classics from wall. >otesM 6ough drafts were often written in cursive hand, or cao !ie, so wor0s of calligraphy in this style are often refered to as +ao#, or drafts. .u4 .u4 of =an Zhang "i's reign /L$C3 !"( was famed for his beautiful cursive characters, refered to in these lines. *i0ewise, Zhong1 "ou2 of the Three :ingdoms' Cao( -ei "ynasty was famed for his li4 shu1, or, clerical style of calligraphy. ! bit late for the ,astern =an but the succeeding Cao -ei's capital was *uoyang, too &&+$&L% !"(. Qi1 Shu1 were the ancient boo0s comprised of bamboo lips strung together, with characters brushed on in lac9uer. The 7i4 )ing1 were the famous lost wor0s of Confucius in ancient characters recovered by the fifth son of =an ;ing "i, invested as the :ing of *u, 0nown as Lu# +ong1 Wang2 around '%+ ?C from inside a bro0en$down wall at the )age's former home in Jufu, )handong, over three hundred years after his death. The 0ing was demolishing Confucius' old house for an expansion of his palace when the discovery was made. The wor0s included the old character text of the ?oo0 of =istory, ?oo0 of Boems, Classic of 5ilial Biety and others.
3u0 'uo. !ian/, -ian/,, 'u, !ia. huai. qin/+

5alace generals and ministers parade; on road outside the ones of lesser grade. >otesM 5rom inside the palace the top civil and military leadership parade out in two parallel lines, through a gauntlet of the various lower ran0ing palace officials flan0ing the path. Jiang4 !iang1, generals and ministers of state, means the top court officials, civil and military7 huai2 *ing1, two official classifications, refer to all the lower court officials. In many places in eastern !sia today, graduating students leave school after commencement down a wal0way lined on both sides by their applauding classmates from the lower grades.
hu, 3en/+ &a+ -ian,, !ia+ !i0 qian+ &in/+

#ach household granted eight counties; each family, a thousand troops. >otesM /eng, originally, to plant a ceremonial spear into the earth7 bestow a credential in function li0e the 6oman fasces( to grant a feudal title and empowerment, the right to build a fortified capital, maintain over ',+++ armed troops, and ta0e in the harvests of the land and people shi2 yi4 to members of the royal family or distinguished ministers, officers etc. In its ideal form the sub8ects, able$bodied men ding1 and women 3ou#, were highly organi1ed into basic agricultural units, five hu4 or households to a lin2 or neighborhood, bloc0, barrac0s in a sense7 five lin2 to a li#, or village, and %++ li#, or '&,%++ households in turn organi1ed into a !iang1, or 4district4, more or less comprising a !ian4 county, as above(in those times, receiving some of their basic needs from the local 0ing. ! typical grant of eight counties would thus have ideally comprised about '++,+++ sub8ects. This complete feudal society began with the early Zhou, around ''++ ?C. The ?oo0 of Boems tells us *i1 yue4 liu2 huo- 7a1 yue4 shou4 yi1, 4In the seventh month the fireS floats by, in the eighth month we receive our clothes47 it touchingly portrays how the lowest sub8ects passed a an entire year in the Zhou society under ideali1ed conditions. )uch a ruler would be granted the right to the harvest and other duties and services, and to muster and 0eep men under arms. The eight counties were each administered for the feudal lord by a sub$invested !ian4 $heng4, or magistrate. Jin )hi =uang "i did away with this system and established a more centrali1ed rule over counties xian( and subcounties 8un( but the =an obliterated all traces of that and returned to the Zhou system of !ian4 counties but with stronger centrali1ed Imperial rule for the better part. 5eudal grants and titles continued, though, into modern times. In Jin and =an times, an official called a Xian4 ling4 counties over '+,+++ households( or a Xian4 $hang# smaller counties( was appointed to administer the areas.
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The Thousand Character ,ssay, DE.FGHI! Jian Zi -en, 9ian1iwen Chinese(, sen 8i m... Bage &' of 2C
SAovements of fireflies, shooting stars, Berseid meteor showers( or huo# !ing1 the planet Aars7 perhaps all three. This would be late !ugust or )eptember. Imagine the star$studded blac0 s0y that the Zhou people transcendentally and abstractly worshipped, with its infinite twin0ling bodies viewed from the dar0ened full fields, ready for harvesting, with myriad fireflies dancing, leaving their traces in the crisp late summer nights and meteorites similarly racing and vanishing overhead. The movement of Aars crossing overhead would indicate the approach of harvest time.
/ao+ /uan+ $ei. nian0, qu+ /u0 zhen, yin/+

?igh hats pace Son of ?eaven"s chariot; fast driving blows their ribbons all about. >otesM -earing their tall ceremonial hats, the feudal lords escort the imperial chariot on a pleasure drive7 they drive their teams fast enough to set the long ribbon trim on their hats fluttering bac0 in the resulting wind. "riving was an activity that the ancient Chinese, including Confucius, felt was well suited to a highminded, refined and gentlemanly ruler.
shi, 'u, chi0 3u,, che+ !ia, 3ei. qin/+

>nheriting e$cessive wealth and ease; they drive fat horses anytime they please. >otesM The offspring of these feudal grant receivers were a hereditary aristocracy, entitled by law to fat emoluements. !ccording to the the ?oo0 of =istory, cited in the =uaxia reader, 4shi4 lu4 $hi1 )ia1- !ian2 3e4 you4#5 li#4M 4!mong the entitled families, few had any manners or 0new the rites4. This early source shows that the elaborate practice of recorded hereditary privilege and grants was already in place in )hang times, 'L++$''++ ?C, before the Zhou. =istory records that =an Nao Zu invested his minister Cao2 Shen1 as 2ing2 "ang2 Hou2, <iscount of Bingyang, a hereditary grant including the grant lands as well as his government post.
ce, /on/+ "ao, shi., 'e, &ei+ 2e, "in/.

Wrote scrolls of glories and abundant facts; carved on stones their famous names and acts. >otesM The Zhou imperial court 0ept assiduous records of the feudal 0ings' virtuous acts and glorious achievements on bamboo slips strung together into scrolled boo0s, and ordered their names and deeds carved into stone monuments they erected. ce4 and le4 are verbal, the former meaning 4to record on bamboo slips,4 and the later, 4to carve4.
$an. -i+ yi+ yin0, zuo0 shi. a+ hen/.

5an reek, the place, 1i 1in, the man; assisting as 5rime -inister. >otesM The Ban is a river southeast of ?ao8i City in )haanxi Brovince, where, legend goes, Jiang1 Tai4 +ong1 'v: Shang9 was fishing when befriended by Zhou -uwang. =e became -uwang's close political and military advisor and was entrusted with
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The Thousand Character ,ssay, DE.FGHI! Jian Zi -en, 9ian1iwen Chinese(, sen 8i m... Bage && of 2C
many important decisons and responsibilities, such as in the destruction of wic0ed last :ing Zhou.'s Oin$)hang and establishment of the Zhou rule over all the states. $uo2 is 4assist47 shi2 is an elliptical form of shi2 $heng4, meaning the governmental decisionma0ing and administrative issues of the time. "i1 "in2 was in much earlier times discovered by Shang1: Tang1 and dubbed ;1 Heng2, from that time on another name for Brime Ainister. =e similarly advised in the campaign to punish Xia's bad 0ing ;ie&, end the Xia and found the )hang. ?oth aided in ma0ing decisions on problems of the day and were relied on in important matters of state. The recruitment of talented and good men, in these early times a simple and idyllic matter of chance meeting, later became a central issue in Chinese civili1ation.
yan0 zhai. qu0 3u,, wei+ dan, shu. yin/.

1an"s earth, Qufu; less ,an9, who would doA >otesM "an was a very ancient state's name, east of Jufu, )handong. It was later to become the state of Lu# and the birthplace of Confucius. .an4 was the "u0e of Zhou, surname Ji1, given name .an4, a brother of Zhou -u -ang, Ji1 ,a1. Wei1 here means 4without,4 and shu2 is 4who,4 or 4where4 li0e the modern Chinese shui2 or na2. >ot long after he destroyed the )hang, Zhou -u -ang died of illness, and out of four younger brothers Zhou1 +ong1 .an4, the "u0e of Zhou, "an., assisted his younger brother, still a child, who had become 'en2 'ang2, the great :ing -en, in building and stabili1ing the Zhou state. 4-here would we have been in the Jufu campaign without the "u0e of Zhou# -ithout "an, then who4#
huan. /on/+ 2uan/+ he., !i, ruo, 3u. qin/+

The ,uke of ?uan brought all in line; helped those weak and in decline. >otesM Ji's leader =uan Nong assembled his feudal lords and their forces nine times to aid wea0er and endangered states. -ith +uan1 Zhong4 as Brime Ainsister, he followed a policy of internal strength and external alliances to great advantage, becoming the first of the Zhou hegemons, or 7a4. This is discussed in the -en "e section of !nalects. =is armed forces came to the aid of the small states yan4 and 'ei4 when they were endangered by alien tribes, the 6ong and "i.
qi0 hui. han, hui,, yue(0) /an(0) wu0 din/,

Qi returned to aid ?an ?ui; ,elight affected Shang"s Wu ,ing. >otesM is Qi# Ji4li#, one of the 45our =ermits of )hangshan4 or 4shang1 shan1 si4 hao44. -ith white hair and beards they came down from their isolation to aid =an =ui "i when, as Crown Brince, he was challenged for the throne by another son of the late Nao Zu. -u "ing was a )hang 0ing who, legend says, dreamt of a perfectly cultivated minister and was deeply affected, moved to drawing the man of his dream in a picture and then tiring himself out in a search for that ideal official, 5u. Oue2, same Oue as above.
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The Thousand Character ,ssay, DE.FGHI! Jian Zi -en, 9ian1iwen Chinese(, sen 8i m... Bage &2 of 2C
!un, yi, "i, wu,, duo shi, shi. nin/..

The best and brightest work diligently; so many fine men, this tran;uility7 >otesM These lines refer to the selfless duty, sacrifice and even death in obscurity of the best and most talented officials, civil and military, on which the empire's strength, prosperity and tran9uility rested. In old China, the most talented individuals were styled )un4, the brilliant and beautiful, the 4one in a thousand47 next came the yi, the best and brightest, the 4one in a hundred4.
!in, chu0 /en/+ &a,, zhao, wei, 2un, hen/.

@in, hu, ne$t hegemonists; Zhao, Wei troubled by !$is. >otesM In the -arring )tates Beriod, )u' Jin& proposed a coalition of six states against Jin, and this was 0nown as the he2 cong2 or 4!lliance4, noted for the hegemonic stands of ;in and Chu7 Zhang' Oi. advocated a pro$Jin group which historians call the lian2 heng2 or 4!xis4, in which each would resist Jin on their own. !fter the lian heng was created, the states of Zhao and -ei began to feel the pressure from Jin's first onslaughts.
!ia0 tu. "ie, /uo., !ian, tu0 hui, "en/.

Stole a march, wiped out %uo; occupied, made a pact. >otesM ;in's "u0e Xian. used the state of Lu2's territory to march through on his way to annihilating the small country of Nuo. @n their way bac0, his troops returned the favor by eliminating their host country as well. !nother ;in ruler, "u0e Wen, held a meeting on the soil of neighboring Zheng, after defeating Chu at the battle of Cheng2 8u2, and met with all the feudal lords there, forging an alliance. These acounts from the Zuo Zhuan one version of the )pring and !utumn !nnals( compare evil and moral behavior on the part of 0ings.
he. zun+ yue+ 3a0, han. &i, 3an. -in/.

Biao ?e valued simple laws; ?an was framed and suffered torts. >otesM Xiao1 He2 was =an Nao Zu's Brime Ainister. )oon after the establishment of the =an, Nao Zu discarded Jin's complicated legal code and had Xiao =e draft a new and simplified code of laws, based on the traditional 4>ine !rticles,4 to suit needs of the new times. ,arlier, the original innovator and advocate of Jin's system, the famous *egalist philosopher =an 5ei, was wrongly accused by enemies and, ironically, died during harsh punishment under his own retributive code.
qi(0) !ian0 $o+ "u,, yon/, !un+ zui, !in/+

Qi, @ian, 5o and -u; in use of armies, most refined.
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The Thousand Character ,ssay, DE.FGHI! Jian Zi -en, 9ian1iwen Chinese(, sen 8i m... Bage &. of 2C
>otesM Jin's generals ?ai :i and -ang #ian, and Zhao's generals *ian ;o and *i u were in anti9uity the most respected of all for their prowess as military commanders. >ote again the practice of refering to officials intimately by their first name, very commonly seen in Chinese documents down to recent times in traditional China. 5or example, in the '3th century Jing court documents we can see Zeng Nuofan's Xiang !rmy refered to as 4Nuo's forces4.
-uan+ wei+ sha+ "o,, chi. yu, dan+ qin/+

Spread of name to deserts far; passed down fame in portraiture. >otesM sha1 (o4, desert, refers to the far flung deserts and remote border areas of China in general. The former dynasties of China maintained memorial halls with paintings of illustrious past officials, such as the Tang's ling2 yan ge27 the practice might have begun in the -arring )tates Beriod, .+2$&&& ?C.
!iu0 zhou+ yu0 !i,, &ai0 !un, qin. &in/,

0ld +ine States with 1u"s tracks in; the ?undred ,istricts, (oined by Qin. >otesM Ou the Nreat left his footprints in the form of water control wor0s all over the ancient )iu# $hou1 or 4>ine )tates4, also a name for China. These were the districts of very early ChinaM Oi', Ou., Oong', Oang&, Oan2, Xu&, *iang&, Jing' and ;ing'. The ;apanese much later named their southernmost home island :yushyu after it. The 7ai# )un4 or 4=undred "istricts4 here is also an expression for China. Jin unified the land into 2L big districts7 =an later discarded this system and used '+2 )un4, or "istricts.
yue, zon/+ tai, dai,, chan. zhu0 yun. tin/.

5eak most worshipped, %reat Taishan; han conducted on 1un and Ting. >otesM @f the five sacred mountains, the one of the ,ast, called variously by the common term Tai )han or the more religious "ai Oue or "ai Zong, in )handong Brovince, is the most important and the place where the /eng4 ceremony is held at the summit, in which an emperor sacrifices to heaven and consecrates or reconsecrates the dynasty. 6ulers sacrificed to earth in the chan2 ceremony, conducted at the foot of the mountain on two smaller pea0s, Oun Ounyunshan, in southeastern Taian County, )handong, considered part of Taishan's range(, and Ting Tingshan in southwestern Zhang9iu County, )handong(. The other holy mountains of China are At =ua in the -est, At =eng in the )outh, At =eng different character( in the >orth, and At )ong at the center.
yan, "en. zi0 sai,, !i+ tian. chi, chen/.

-t 1anmen 5ass, purple %reat Wall; @itian station, hicheng"s vault.
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The Thousand Character ,ssay, DE.FGHI! Jian Zi -en, 9ian1iwen Chinese(, sen 8i m... Bage &% of 2C
>otesM At <an"en, meaning 4Noosegate,4 is in the northwest part of modern )hanxi Brovince7 Oanmen Bass is formed by the saddle between its pea0s. It is the home of the family of eternal supernatural foxes in the long version of the novel 2ing2 "ao1 Zhuan4 and is cited here as an example of a famous scenic mountain pass. There are also districts, counties, towns, and at least one river by this name. =i0 sai,, 4purple wall,4 is another word for the Nreat -all, what the Chinese call the -anli Changcheng, '+,+++ li Nreat -all. !nother such old name is the !uan2 sai4 or 4blac0 wall4 with the additional meaning of dar0 spirits, ghosts etc as are indeed associated with it. #itian must have been well 0nown in Zhou Xingsi's day as a relay and refreshment station for the mails and travelers, but today it is chiefly 0nown for it's inclusion in this line7 that is the first definition in the old Ci =ai. It is recorded there as a district name in =ebei and >ingxia. !ccording to our new Chinese little reader, it was a relay station in today's =ebei Brovince. Chichen/, the 46edwall,4 is a mountain in the Tian1 Tai2 range of Zhe8iang, of great religious significance in ,ast !sian ?uddhism as the tian1 tai2 $ong1 Tiantai Zong in ;apanese, Tendai )hyu,( denomination was founded there by Zhi# "i4, %2C$%3/ !", shortly after Zhou ;ingsi's lifetime. The early ;apanese worshipped mountains too, before ?uddhism's introduction and after, and gave this name, Chicheng, pronounced !0agi in ;apanese, to a mountain in central =onshyu Nunma Brefecture( near To0yo.
2un+ chi. !ie. shi., !u, ye0 don/, tin/.

)unming 5ond, Tablet &ock; @uye Swamp, 'ake ,ongting. >otesM %unchi is apparently not Ounan's famed :unming *a0e, but rather =an ,mperor -u "i's privately dug imitation in the northwest of Changsha County, )haanxi Brovince, a once$splended pool, now dried up. In Zhou Xingsi's day it was still noteworthy. It is also 0nown as the dian1 chi2, named after the Ounan "ian( original. Ta&'et >oc2 or Jieshi is a pea0 northwest of Changli, 5uning County in northeastern =ebei Brovince. 5rom this vantage point one can see the ?ohai, or Nulf of Zhili. 5uning is one of the 45our Counties4 of greater Jinhuangdao, China's northernmost ice$free port, with the famed 45irst Bass Pnder =eaven4 at )hanhaiguan and the ?eidaihe seashore resort. In Aing times, a thousand years after Zhou Xingsi's passing, the Nreat -all fortification system was extended throughout this area at tremendous cost, in defense against the >v1hen and other nomadic peoples, and, in the -anli era, in '%3& !", in expectation of an invasion by the ;apanese warlord =ideyoshi Toyotomi that was eventually stopped short in :orea. =ideyoshi brought great suffering to the :orean people and helped bring on the financial ban0ruptcy of the Aing. Today, the ;iaoshan Nreat -all in Jinhuangdao probably gives the grandest ?ohai panorama of all. #uye refers to an ,verglades$li0e swamp formerly in ;uye County, eastern )handong. This is in >orth China, but in Zhou Xingsi's day it might have have been warmer than now7 the famed Cao Cao is said to have grown oranges at *oyang, =enan. !t any rate, the huge swamp dried out during the subse9uent ages, perhaps from a combination of climate change and human activities. *astly, if it's la0es that you fancy, ta0e a loo0 at ?a2e @on/tin/ in =unan, one of China's most famous bodies of water and a world famous tourist attraction.
2uan/, yuan0 "ian. "iao0, yan. -iu, yao0 "in/.

&ivers flowing without end, boundless lakes and seas; tall rocks in caves so dark and deep, climate as you please. >otesM Aore on the infinite and profound beauty of China, its waters, earth and climate. This concludes Chapter 5our of the Qian Zi Wen, which progressed from cultural to physical geography.
Cha$ter A
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The Thousand Character ,ssay, DE.FGHI! Jian Zi -en, 9ian1iwen Chinese(, sen 8i m... Bage &L of 2C
zhi, &en0 yu. non/., wu, zi+ !ia, se,

%overnment is based on farming; mind the yearly sowing, reaping7 >otesM Wu4 means 4apply yourself diligently4 to something, 4mind4 something etc. Zi means not only 4this4 but 4this year's4 as well7 really a (ot )ust on Zhou Xingsi's part, revealing his elegant and economical powers of expression. The Chinese of former times were chiefly concerned with agriculture, as we see from the lunar calendar. Wu2 Jing4 of the Tang saidM 4In all matters, we must all apply ourselves to the foundations. The people are the foundation of the country7 clothing and food are the foundation of the people4. Zhengguan Zhengyao, cited in the =uaxia N? reader.(
chu, zai0 nan. "u0, wo0 yi, shu0 !i,

> start the year down in the southern field; there > cultivate the season"s yield. >otesM The ?oo0 of Boems says in the Xiao Oa, "a Tian(M 4-ith my 0een plow * start the year down in the southern 3ie'd7 the grains I've sown will be so vast and very tall in yield4. shu# )i4, millet and sorghum here refer to grain product in general.
shui, shou. /on/, -in+, quan, shan/0 chu, zhi,

.or ta$ they bring the fresh and new; reward or punishment is due. >otesM shou4 and gong4 both refer to payment of tax in grain. !t its worst, the common people were robbed yearly at 0nifepoint, at idyllic best with a good prince they had their needs ta0en care of throughout the year in return for their grain. In the ,astern =an this changed with the stronger central authority and the appointment by =an ;ing "i of Chao2 Cuo4, &++$'%. ?C, to high office at court. Chao strengthened the farmers and tradespeople at the expense of the feudal lords Zhu# Hou2( and their old 0ingdoms. The central state's tax collectors too0 the grain where they could and invested industrious farmers with titles and estates at the expense of the establish feudal interests. =e began cutting bac0 severely on the Zhu2 =ou& and their lands, and encouraged population to move toward the frontier under central government rule in fortified settlements, as a policy against the invading =uns. 5inally, seven old feudatories led by -u& and )hu2 revolted7 when ,mperor ;ing "i heard of it, he had Chao Cuo put to death.
"en/, 2e+ dun+ su,, shi0 yu. &in/0 zhi.

-eng )e was honest, deep and pure; Shi 1u always true and sure. >otesM The sage Aencius famously said that the highminded adult should always be true to the 4child inside them47 preserve the pure spirit of the child and never ta0e leave of or adulterate one4s natural$born pure goodness. Aeng1i, *i *ou, Xia(. )hi Ou, or )hi Nuan1i Ou of the state of -ei, was praised by Confucius for his uprightness, fran0ness, correctness and honesty7 no matter what the situation, good or bad, whether treated 0indly or abused, he would never lose his composure or compromise himself, remaining always 4straight as an arrow4. B#unzi he. er. &u, 'iu.BC the !unzi is "i'd and a/reea&'e &ut cannot &e swayed 3ro" $rinci$'e.
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The Thousand Character ,ssay, DE.FGHI! Jian Zi -en, 9ian1iwen Chinese(, sen 8i m... Bage &/ of 2C
shu, !i+ zhon/+ yon/+, 'ao. qian+ !in0 chi,

!pproach the -oderated -ean; strive to be modest, on guard to be clean7 >otesM The Zhong1 "ong1 is the famous "octrine of the Aean, here rendered as Aoderated Aean. -hat is upright and uninfluenced is =hon/+, or 4in the middle47 once affected, the resulting arousal is moderated, and that moderation process is <on/+. The behavior of a pendulum is a good analogy. The family upbringing, education and moral refinement of an individual allow their various feelings to remain calm and unmoved if not appropriatly activated, to be on guard against dangerous arousal, and to limit the resulting engagement of moved feelings appropriately. The common type runs against the Aean, courts danger in pursuit of pleasure or benefit7 the highminded, princely person follows the Aean calmly, accepts things they cannot change and extends their life. The refined and highminded person must remain modest and humble, and guard their private moments and thoughts at all times. This enables a person to achieve cheng2, sincerity, to serve society and to share the unfailing regularity and integrity of heaven and earth, li0e the rules of physics that limit the pendulum. It can never be reached in completeness, li0e infinity7 it is the ideal end of purity, control and integrity which men and women strive to approximate.
'in/. yin+ cha. 'i0, !ian, "ao, &ian, se,

#$amine the tone and reasoning too; consider the face, how it changes hue. >otesM In !nalects, Xue ,r, @ne( Confucius saidM Qiao# yan2 ling4 se4- !ian4#5 yi# ren2, meaning that 4clever words and a charming smile are rarely a sign of 0indness4. -hen listening, be careful to distinguish truth from falsehood7 carefully examine the voice and the see if the words spo0en ma0e sense, and, as the Chinese people have long said, 4cha2 yan2 guan1 se44 or 4loo0 at the color4 of a person's face carefully.
yi. !ue. !ia+ you., "ian0 qi. zhi+ zhi.

5ass down to others your fine principle; encourage them to carefully stand tall. >otesM Transmit your life experience and moral principles to others, to help them avoid pitfalls in establishing themselves in the world. Confucius said in !nalects )hu ,r( 4san1 ren2 !ing2- 7i4 you<#= 'o# shi24M 4@ut of every three people, there must be one who can be my teacher4.
-in/0 /on/+ !i+ !ie,, chon/0 zen/+ 2an/, !i.

When stung by words, search soul for reason; don"t be flattered into treason. >otesM -hen receiving harsh words of criticism or warning, even disrespect, sincerely search your soul first for the reason. 4"on't accuse the spea0er but be warned by his words,4 goes a Chinese proverb. This notion once more of /an4#5 !ing# or self$ examination. -hen you are the sub8ect of praise or flattery, don't get carried away and compromise your loyalties7 don't indulge
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The Thousand Character ,ssay, DE.FGHI! Jian Zi -en, 9ian1iwen Chinese(, sen 8i m... Bage &C of 2C
your pride and fall into words or acts of treason due to some sweet words. In old China one's entire family could be beheaded for treason7 4(ie4 (en2 $hi1 huo4,4 the tragedy of collective family punishment.
dai, ru0 !in, chi0, 'in. /ao+ -in/, !i.

'urking scandal, looming shame; in (oy move up to wood and stream. >otesM -hen you sense the danger of a shameful affair or scandal about to occur, remove yourself to a high, wooded place near water. *ao1i said that $hi1 $u# 7u4 ru#- $hi1 $hi# 7u4 dai4M 4Those who 0now a limit don't bring shame7 those who 0now when to stop stay out of danger4.
'ian/0 shu+ !ian, !i+, !ie(0) zu0 shei. &i+

The brothers Shu saw trouble stem; turned in seals, who forced themA >otesM The brothers Shu1 +uang# and Shu1 Shou4 were court officials of =an Xuan "i's reign who received glowing praises after long, dedicated service7 five years later the two famously used the pretext of age and infirmity, turned in their seals and retired to their home district. *ater people have since said gong1 sui4 shen1 tui4, or, 4!ttac0 complete, self in retreat4M Juit while you're ahead.
suo0 !u+ -ian. chu0, chen. "o, !i, 'iao.

!lone reside in tran;uil spot; speaking little, moving not. >otesM The poet Tao Ouanming 2/&$.&/ !"( of the ,astern Jin4 "ynasty 2'/$.&+( was tired of involvement in officialdom and retired to the 9uiet fields and gardens, where he came to love the tran9uility and silence. =e wroteM 4*iving in a grass hut in country, =appily resigned from luxury... In cottage at the limit of the town, -ithout a sound of cart or horse around4. =appily puting aside the luxuries of official 9uarters, he went off to a secluded and poor district to till the soil and en8oy a solitary and cloistered existance in purity.
qiu. /u0 -un. 'un,, san, '1, -iao+ yao0

5onder past words, research and write; dispel your cares, live in delight.
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The Thousand Character ,ssay, DE.FGHI! Jian Zi -en, 9ian1iwen Chinese(, sen 8i m... Bage &3 of 2C
>otesM Lu4 "ou2 of the )ong, who spent his later years in seclusion at shan1 yin1, today's )haoxing in Zhe8iang Brovince, wroteM 4In bed I endlessly read Tao's rhymes Then in dri11le go to tend my vines.4 That well describes the escape to tran9uility in wistful pursuit of the ancients, and the charmingly delightful and idyllic existance that offers 8oy with everything before one's eyes.
-in+ zou, 'ei, qian0, qi+ -ie, huan+ zhao+

,elights all gathered, drudge dispersed; worries gone, in (oy immersed. >otesM The Tang poet -ang -ei who himself withdrew to live as a recluse in -ang1hou, today's *antian in )haanxi Brovince, wroteM 4In old age see0ing 8ust tran9uility >ot a thing in this whole world to trouble me... !n old man of the woods and I once met The chatting and the laughter goes on yet...4 This describes the incomparable 8oy to be found in the putting aside of worldly matters.
qu. he. di. 'i,, yuan. "an/0 chou+ tiao.

The beauty of the lotus pond; the garden plants, each stem and frond. >otesM >ow we turn to the beautiful scenes of Chinese gardens, which subtly represent the will of the cultivated person.
$i. $a. wan0 cui,, wu. ton/. zao0 diao+

'o;uat late in year still green, .irmiana fast to fall. >otesM The Chinese are fond of using the signs of autumn in literature to represent the early passing of a person or life's sadness and ephemeral nature in general. The changes in trees and foilage, rains, migration of birds, and appearance of the s0y are commonly used. The firmiana, 'u2 tong2 in Chinese, is similar to the the paulownia with its large, heart$shaped leaves, and is often used in such imagery, especially to signify mourning or the onset of old age. The oa0, a much different sort of tree, is similarly used by western writers as its leaves also whither and fall rather early. The famed poetess *i Jing1hao of the )ong wroteM !ll alone and somehow cast in blac0 5rom wutong tree combined with misty rain ! steady dri11le patters unto dus0
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The Thousand Character ,ssay, DE.FGHI! Jian Zi -en, 9ian1iwen Chinese(, sen 8i m... Bage 2+ of 2C
Can words li0e sadness really say it all# The flight of fowl such as geese or more exotic birds is often used as well in the autumnal sense.
chen. /en+ wei0 yi,, 'uo, ye, $iao+ yao.

0ld trees bare or dead on ground; fallen leaves fly all around. >otesM The Tang poet "u 5u wroteM !ll around the fallen branches whistle to the ground In the air we hear the distant Oang1i's gushing sound. ! rich and sweeping image, deep in meaning and rendered in very simple language.
you. 2un+ du. yun,, 'in/. "o. !ian/, -iao+

The roc flies off alone and high; skirts the red cloud in the sky. >otesM The legendary giant bird of land and sea called the 1un1 2eng2 flies off on its own discretion, soaring high and drawing near to the auspicious red cloud hanging in the autumn s0y. The clean and auspicious departure of the great7 leaving at the height of one's fame. This concludes Chapter % of the Jian Zi -en, which began with agriculture as the base of government, turned to the cultivation of official morality, spo0e of the need for caution and foresight, of dealing with others, and finally got around to the ideal later life in rural seclusion, 9uiet and tran9uility, and the individual's decline decline and death as a natural eventuality.
Cha$ter D
dan+ du. wan. shi,, yu, "u, nan/. -ian/+

,i66y reading, lost in stacks; eyes on bookbags, shelves and racks. >otesM !s a young man, Wang2 Chong1 &/$3/ !"( studied freely, literally and figuratively spea0ing, in the boo0shops and stalls of the capital city *uoyang, standing and reading away the days and nights, neglecting to eat and sleep.
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The Thousand Character ,ssay, DE.FGHI! Jian Zi -en, 9ian1iwen Chinese(, sen 8i m... Bage 2' of 2C
yi, you. you+ wei,, shu(0) er0 yuan. qian/.

'a$ness is a thing to fear; the office wall affi$ed with ear. >otesM !ccording to the Nuan1i, attributed to Nuan2 Zhong., early legalist philosopher, #$L.. ?C( 4The walls have ears7 there is always the peril of hidden plans lea0ing out to the world4.
!u, shan, can+ 3an,, shi, 2ou0 chon/+ chan/.

5repare the meals, eat enough; the mouth to suit, the gut to stuff. >otesM !nalects Xiang "ang Chapter( says 4Nrain satisfactorily fine, Aeat sliced satisfactorily thin.4 The primary purpose of food is to nourish7 everyone should eat their full. 4,ach type of grain has its own flavor7 something for everybody to fill up with,4 wrote -ang Chong in his celebrated wor0 Lun2 Heng2.
&ao0 yu, $en/+ zai,, !i+ yan, zao+ 2an/+

%luttons gorged on boiled game; the hungry glad with coarsest grain. >otesM =an 5ei1i -u "u Chapter( wrote 4Those who cannot get enough coarse feed grain to fill their bellies shouldn't strive after meat and millet dishes4.
qin+ qi+ /u0 !iu,, 'ao0 shao, yi, 'ian/.

With family and old friends there; old and young, different fare. >otesM @ne feeds one's visiting family and friends, each according to age and ran0 and differently from one's own ordinary food. Cultivated people should go to great lengths and personal sacrifice to feed their guests properly with the maximum 9uantities and appropriate tastey dishes. Aeng =aoran of the Tang wroteM @ld friends prepared a millet chic0en dish Inviting me into their rural house. !nd a poem by "u 5u goesM In night and rain the spicey greens of spring, In bla1ing heat the millet gathering. The 4spicey greens4 are )iu# cai4, ;apanese nira, :orean 8uchu(.
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The Thousand Character ,ssay, DE.FGHI! Jian Zi -en, 9ian1iwen Chinese(, sen 8i m... Bage 2& of 2C
qie, yu, !i+ 3an/0, shi, !in+ wei. 3an/.

@unior wife, spinning thread; combs and towels, making bed. >otesM )pinning thread, according to the little N? reader, refers to household chores in general7 shi4 )in1 is short for shi4 $hi2 )in4 $hi4, serve with towel and comb, i.e. wait on master and mistress hand and foot. The 'ei2 /ang2 is the curtained bedchamber of the husband and principal wife. :eeping a concubine in very ancient China was a priviledge limited to the aristocracy, extending down to the shi4 ran0. !ccording to the Zuo Zhuan, cited in the old Ci =ai, 4?y ancient custom, the )on of =eaven is entitled to nine women, a feudal 0ing seven, a grand counselor one wife and two concubines, an ordinary official a wife and one concubine, and commoners are allowed one wife for each man, one man for each woman4. Zhou Xingsi wrote the Jian Zi -en for a crown prince's benefit, so it spea0s to this institution. Things had changed somewhat over the twelve turbulent centuries since the )pring and !utumn Beriod. Community norms in the fifth century !" varied7 the Chinese have long said 4when entering a village en9uire about the norms and customs7 when crossing a border, find out about the laws and prohibitions4. The harmonious bond between husband and wife was only an ideal in many instances. ! variation on the concubineKfemale slave theme was a *ie2 ying2, or servant girl that a bride was allowed to bring along into a marriage to help with household chores and economic activity.
wan. shan, yuan. -ie., yin. zhu. wei0 huan/.

Silken fan like moon so bright; silver candleholders" light. >otesM ! probable typographical mista0e in the readerM the character for purity )ie2 as in the earlier $hen1 )ie2 repeated when it should be a variant, pronounced !ie2 and used in a comparative sense. yuan2 !ie2 moon$li0e, dead literally circle$li0e. The avoidance of redundancy in graphs is a main theme of this wor0.( =ow elegant the fan held by the refined lady, how bright the light of the fine silver candleholders. The ex9uisite personal accesories and the elegance of the private chamber. In Zhou Xingsi's day, a poem by his contemporary Jiang1 "an1 ...$%+% !"( entitled 4?an ;ieyu's 5an4 had similar language, cited in the readerM 4)il0en fan li0e moon so round and big Cast out by simpleness amidst intrigue.4 This sad poem refers to the story of the woman Ban1 Jie2yu2 of =an Cheng "i's reign, a talented harem entertainment official brilliant at poetry and song, once the emperor's favorite, who was cast into disfavor and banished by 8ealous false accusations and tric0ery. )he wrote of her pain in languorous verse.
zhou, "ian. -i+ "ei,, 'an. sun0 -ian/, chuan/.

Snoo6e at noontime, sleep at night; bamboo on ivory bed is right. >otesM The siesta at noon has long been a Chinese custom, no different from Zhou Xingsi's day. >owadays, where practicable, it is ideally two hours long7 employees resume wor0 at '%M++. )chools, factories, and many other public institutions have 9uiet facilities for this rest. lan2 sun# refers to the lattice mattress of green bamboo, commonly called a (ie4 !i7 xiang. chuang& refers to an elegant bedstead of carved ivory, again indicating the luxury and ostentaion of the bedchamber in former times.
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The Thousand Character ,ssay, DE.FGHI! Jian Zi -en, 9ian1iwen Chinese(, sen 8i m... Bage 22 of 2C
-ian. /e+ !iu0 yan,, !ie+ &ei+ !u0 shan/+

-usic, song, and tippling party, lift the winecups, drink up hearty7 >otesM The current fondness in China for drin0ing parties with musical and vocal accompaniment did not 8ust start with the :arao0e cra1e from ;apan7 evidently this was a common pastime of those who could afford it and their guests in Zhou Xingsi's time as well. "u 5u of the Tang later wroteM The host says that I loo0 li0e I'm in pain *ift the cup, ten full rounds againR >ow still sober after those ten more I feel my mind is stronger than before. Ppon ta0ing the cup in hand, one was expected to down ten cupfuls of wine in 9uic0 succession before putting it down again. Beople in former times commonly said 4=uman life is fifty years4.
!iao(0) shou0 dun, zu., yue, yu, qie0 2an/+

'ift your hands and stomp your feet, happy, healthy, with the beat7 >otesM The Nreat Breface of the ?oo0 of Boems says 4-hen words are not enough to say it all, unconciously the hands then start to dance, the feet as well begin to rise and fall4. =ere, men are encouraged to abandon their inhibitions and shyness and dance to the rhythm. They would dance individually with their male party companions, as is still sometimes the case in relatively conservative !sian countries li0e :orea where modesty is highly valued.
di. hou, si, -u,, !i, si, zhen/+ chan/.

-ain ;ueen"s sons continuing; winter, autumn worshipping >otesM @nly the sons of the principal wife, future 9ueen in the case of *iang's crown prince, are legitimate offspring and can 8oin in conducting the sacrificial ceremony of ancestor worship. Zheng1 and chang2 are the winter and autumn sacrifices, respectively. !ccording to the ?oo0 of 6ites the surviving Xiao "ai *i ;i mentioned above, -ang Zhi chapter,( the ceremonies are yao4, spring7 di4, summer7 chang2, autumn, and $heng1, winter.
!i+ san/0 zai, &ai,, son/0 !u, 2on/0 huan/.

)neel and knock, again ground head; sincere respect, in grief and dread. >otesM )i1 sang# refers to a stage of 0neeling worship from former times, when the forehead is 0noc0ed on the ground to show in utter sincerity to show grievous pain, reverence and fear before one's ancestors' spirits. The sage Xun1i wrote, cited in the little =uaxia N? reader, 4when the 0neeling body is( bent forward hori1ontally, that is called 7ai4, or worship7 when the head and torso start dropping, that is called )i1 shou#, and the grounding of the head is called )i1 sang#4. Bai4 above refers to the entire process, to be repeated again.
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The Thousand Character ,ssay, DE.FGHI! Jian Zi -en, 9ian1iwen Chinese(, sen 8i m... Bage 2. of 2C
!ian+ die. !ian0 yao,, /u, da. shen0 -ian/.

1our notes and letters brief, concise; replies detailed, thorough, wise. >otesM In correspondence that you initiate, whether simple note or formal letter, stic0 to the essentials and be concise. In answering the en9uiries of others, go into the necessary detail and cover all the aspects of the issue at hand in depth to the extent of your 0nowledge and wisdom. The -enxue literature( section of the classic shi4 shuo1 !in1 yu# 4The >ew *anguage of Today's -orld,4 says ci2 yue1 er# $hi1 da2M 4-ords concise, point precise4.
hai. /ou, -ian/0 yu,, zhi. re, yuan, 'ian/.

/ones dirty, long for bathing pool; too hot to handle, wish for cool. >otesM =ere is a famous analogy between physical and mental hygiene. 4?ones4 of course means the body. ;ust as we wish for a bath to wash off dirt, we hope some cool bree1e will cool off a hot thing in our hands or, by extension, thoughts that are 4too hot to handle4M to wash the mind of dirty thoughts. The highminded individual, man or woman, bathes in morality for the mind as well as water for the body. -ang Chong says in his *un =eng ;i 6i( to use a 4washbasin to clean the hands, a tub to clean the body4. Confucianists over the years have used this as a metaphor for 0eeping the mind cleanM 4yu4 de2,4 or, 4bathing in virtue4.
'1. 'uo. du. te,, hai, yue, chao+ -ian/+

,onkey, mule, calf and bull; leaping, rearing, panic full. >otesM This line should be read in context with the next. The setting is a close$0nit agricultural society, a small village or hamlet. -hen a crime, fire, accident or disorder stri0es a home, not only are the people's lives affected but those of their valuable animals too. -hen sensitive but dumb wor0 animals and cattle suffer fright they can do damage or harm to themselves, each other or their masters, and their productivity suffers as well, causing loss to the family and community. This colorfully applies to domestic violence and dangerous 4horsing around4 as well, as the don0ey has the same 48ac0ass4 connotation as in ,nglish.
zhu+ zhan0 zei. dao,, &u0 huo, $an, wan/.

)ill thieves and bandits, every one; arrest and try those on the run. >otesM )tern advice to the young prince of *iang. "eal with crime severelyM burglars, tric0sters, highway robbers, la0e and river pirates and the rest to be rounded up and dealt with harshly. 6ound them up, investigate, try them, 0ill the ones who are to die, punish the others by law. In traditional China in peaceful and prosperous times, the catching of a criminal suspect in the act would have been 9uite an event. The petty offender would suffer at the indignant hands of the community before being bound over to the magistrate for brutal interrogation and official punishment, probably a caning and the cangue public humiliation in a wooden head stoc0( with a lot more to come. This is the conclusion of Chapter L of the Jian Zi -en, which discussed
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The Thousand Character ,ssay, DE.FGHI! Jian Zi -en, 9ian1iwen Chinese(, sen 8i m... Bage 2% of 2C
intellectual curiosity, eavesdropping, everyday domestic science and nutrition, entertainment, filial duties, written communications, morality, public security and criminal 8ustice.
Cha$ter E
&u, she, 'iao. wan., !i+ qin. ruan0 -iao,

'v /u"s bow, 1i 'iao"s balls; @i )ang"s 6ither, &uan @i"s calls. >otesM L # Bu4 who lived at the end of the ,astern =an was renowned for his s0ill at archery7 "i2 Liao2 of the )pring and !utumn Beriod was famed for 8uggling s0ills, being able to handle nine balls at once, one in hand and eight in mid air7 Ji1 1ang1 of the Cao -ei was a virtuoso at the Jin, and his countryman &uan# Ji2 could not only play that instrument brilliantly but could puc0er up his mouth as well and famously whistle loud and long.
tian. &i0 'un. zhi0, !un+ qiao0 ren, diao,

Tian gave us brush, 'un, paper fine; @un compass, wheels, &en, hook and line. >otesM %eng2 Tian2 of the -arring )tates' Jin is credited with the invention of the writing brush7 Cai4 Lun2 of the ,astern =an invented paperma0ing7 %a# Jun1 of the Three :ingdoms )hu devised and manufactured a compass$e9uipped cart and the irrigation waterwheel, and the legendary &en4 +ong1$i# discovered how to fish with pole, hoo0 and line, as related in Zhuang1i where he is credited with catching a huge fish from the ,ast China )ea by using a cow for bait7 it seems that he simultaneously invented the fisherman's tale. 5ittingly, 4inflating a cow4 is an old Chinese expression for exaggeration.
shi, 3en+ 'i, su., &in/, !ie+ !ia+ "iao,

5eace and benefit to us; together all are marvelous. >otesM *v ?u used his longbow s0ills to pry apart the engaging armies of Ouan )hu and *iu ?ei and create a truce during the Three :ingdoms, and Zhuang1i relates how Oi *iao once enthralled people with a merry demonstration of his 8uggling. The others brought people obvious practical benefits. The writing brush still sells well, and calligraphy is very popular all around the world. ,ven with computers in such wide use, more paper is being used today than ever, much of it fortunately recycled, and even today's most advanced ships and aircraft carry a basic magnetic compass device.
"ao. shi+ shu. zi+, /on/+ $in. yan. -iao,

-ao and Shi, most beautiful; brows knit in pain, smile charming still.
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The Thousand Character ,ssay, DE.FGHI! Jian Zi -en, 9ian1iwen Chinese(, sen 8i m... Bage 2L of 2C
>otesM The two legendary Chinese beauties of the -arring )tates period, %ao2 Qiang2 and Xi Shi. They appeared to have a charming smile even when 0nitting their brows in pain or displeasure7 Xi )hi is famous for maintaining her beauty, poise and mysteriously alluring smile during her attac0s of angina and while clutching her chest with a fatal infarction. The expression 4Xi )hi feng shou,4 comes from those last moments of her life, her pose loo0ing li0e a calm and humble gesture of offering with both hands. )he has been an inspiration and model for untold millions of young Chinese girls, with the romance of her pure youth, washing clothes on her laundrystone by a river in the mountainous wilds of ancient )ichuan.
nian. shi0 "ei. cui+, -i+ hui+ 'an/. yao,

The clock of years times out all lives; the bla6ing sun alone survives. >otesM The shi# here is the hour hand on a Chinese water cloc0, that floats up and down according to the level of water remaining in the device's chamber. The Chinese had these reliable time0eeping devices in anti9uity as we can see from the metaphor here7 the hour hand changed into an indicator of the years and months irretrievably passing, timing out the lives of all things except for our brilliant, glorious, everlasting sun. !ll of us slowly pushed toward the end with the passage of our alloted years and months.
-uan. !i+ -uan. wo,, hui, $o, huan. zhao,

The ,ipper turns suspended in the night; world bathed by last moon"s pale and gloomy light. >otesM The first Xuan2 and the )i1 above refer to the first four stars in the ?ig "ipper around which it turns, suspended. The "ipper, or Bei# .ou4 had deep religious significance for the ancient Chinese, who believed it to be the location of the Balace of the *ord of the Bole )tar, or Bei# .ou4 Jun1 in the ancient Zhou s0y. hui4 is the last moon of the lunar month, 8o4 is its pale cold light. The Chinese believed moonlight to be a form of latent Oin energy, the power driving the cold wet magic of earth7 the moon is also thought of as a symbol of time and mortality, its cold light having shone on so many forgotten autumns, so many 8oys and tragedies, births and deaths, festivals and famines7 possessed of secrets, intervening in the sleep of people, its beams clearing up pu11ling dreams. The pale transparent light of that fro1en disc pervades every noo0 and cranny of the dar0ened %th century Central China plain, illuminating huts, earthen and bric0 walls and outbuildings, showing the stubble of newly harvested fields and the earthen ban0s and dy0es in star0 relief. The myriad stars and planets all spread out across the blac0 dome of night as we face the old moon. 5ifteen centuries later the !merican author -illa Cather would write, in her romantic rustic novel %y ;ntonia, 4!s we wal0ed homeward across the fields, the sun dropped and lay li0e a great golden globe in the low west. -hile it hung there, the moon rose in the east, as big as a cart$wheel, pale silver and strea0ed with rose colour, thin as a bubble or a ghost$moon. 5or five, perhaps ten minutes the two luminaries confronted each other across the level land, resting on opposite edges of the world... In that singular light every tree and shoc0 of wheat, every sunflower stal0... drew itself up high and pointed7 the very clods and furrows in the fields seemed to stand up sharply... I felt the old pull of the earth, the solemn magic that comes out of those fields at nightfall. I wished I could be a little boy again, and that my way could end there4. The Bioneer -oman's )tory, I<(.
zhi0 -in+ -iu+ hu,, yon/0 sui+ !i. shao,

>deas to tinder, leave them blessed; always encourage, guide, suggest. >otesM The Chinese say that a person should pass down their learning or s0ill to the next generation in an eternal chain. )etting fire to fresh 0indling7 the fire is one's spirit, ideas, experience, s0ills, stored up good wor0s and achievements, and the 0indling
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The Thousand Character ,ssay, DE.FGHI! Jian Zi -en, 9ian1iwen Chinese(, sen 8i m... Bage 2/ of 2C
is the mind and body of the young. $hi# above is a reading for another character meaning 4idea4. )et your ideas to fresh tinder. Oour descendents are luc0y to have your good and wholesome experience and accounts of your life to benefit from, and they too will pass it on in an unbro0en chain. ,ach receives the accumulated wisdom and influence not only from his own parents, relations and seniors but from the ones who went before them, connecting all of us to an unending chain of forgotten ancestors constantly with us.
!u, &u, yin0 'in/0, 3u(0) yan/0 'an/. "iao,

-easured steps, neck thrust forward; all the bowing, life at court. >otesM The Crown Brince of *iang will someday begin his apprenticeship at court. -al0ing with the regulation s9uare step, nec0 thrust forward, eyes distant, posture correct, ready and willing to assume the duties, repeated bowing, 0owtowing and un9uestioning obedience of his future life at court.
shu, dai, !in+ zhuan/,, $ai. huai. zhan+ tiao,

&obes wrapped with sash, severe and grand; calmly pace, behold your land. >otesM =aving served proudly without dishonor, you are truly prepared to wear the imperial robes and crown7 stand proudly and severely, and cast your eyes far from your place on on high. The prince has undergone a lifetime of preparation, /u4#5 yang# 'u2 hui4 4has served without regret4 and is ready to mount the throne as son of heaven. 6ecall that this is a reader written on the command of ,mperor *iang -u "i for the education of his son.
/u+ 'ou, /ua0 wen., yu0 "en/. den/0 qiao,

.ools and ignoramuses; dimwits too, ridiculous. >otesM -e must spend time with people li0e this every now and then. ;ust let others see their foolishness and laugh at them. -hen a 0nowledgable person condescends to argue with or berate an ignorant fool, it is often hard for an impartial observer who doesn't 0now the sub8ect well to tell who is right and who is the better cultivated.
wei, yu0 zhu, zhe, yan+ zai+ hu+ ye0

So4called helpers; yan 6ai hu ye. >otesM @n this humorous note, Zhou Xingsi wrappped up the Jian Zi -en, his hair and whis0ers white. =e inverted the clauses here so that these final particals used in classical Chinese could mar0 the end of the wor0 in style. "an1 as in the famous schoolteacher's scolding admonition, ta0en from the Nreat *earning, 4xin bu 1ai yan4 heart isn't in it( is emphatic li0e an exclamation point7 $ai1 as in 4da 1ai4 =ow greatR( is emotive or interrogative, hu1 as in 4bu yi le hu4 isn't it a 8oy#( is similar
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The Thousand Character ,ssay, DE.FGHI! Jian Zi -en, 9ian1iwen Chinese(, sen 8i m... Bage 2C of 2C
but more interrogative and less emotive, and ye2 is variously an indicator of decision as well as a copula and, fittingly, the most common final particle in classical Chinese.
,nglish text with N? Chinese is now complete. Two complex forms from the Xinhua Cidian(, for yun2 4cloud4 and /a4 4hair4, have been substituted to avoid repetition of graphs.
Bingyao1huan =omepage >athan )turman's =omepage
)ponsored by
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Qian Zi Wen - A Thousand Characters Classic

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The Thousand Character ,ssay, DE.FGHI! Jian Zi -en, 9ian1iwen Chinese(, sen 8i mon...

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tian+ di, -uan. huan/., yu0 zhou, hon/. huan/+.

ri, yue, yin/. ze,, chen. -iu, 'ie, zhan/+.

han. 'ai. shu(0) wan/0, qiu+ shou+ don/+ can/..

run, yu. chen/. sui,, '1, '10 tiao. yan/..

yun. ten/. zhi, yu0, 'u, !ie. wei. shuan/+.

!in+ shen/+ 'i, shui0, yu, chu+ 2un+ /an/+.

!ian, hao, !u, que+, zhu+ chen/+ ye, /uan/+.

/uo0 zhen+ 'i0 nai,, cai, zhon/, !ie, !ian/+.

hai0 -ian. he. dan,, 'in. qian. yu0 -ian/..

'on/. shi+ huo0 di,, niao0 /uan+ ren. huan/..

shi0 zhi, wen. zi,, nai0 3u. yi+ shan/+.

tui+ wei, ran/, /uo., you0 yu. tao. tan/..

diao, "in. 3a. zui,, zhou+ 3a+ yin+ tan/+

zuo, chao. wen, dao,, chui. /on/0 $in/. zhan/+

ai, yu, 'i. shou0, chen. 3u. ron/. qian/+

-ia. er0 yi, ti0, shuai, &in+ /ui+ wan/.

"in/. 3en/, zai, zhu., &ai. !u+ shi. chan/.

hua, &ei, cao0 "u,, 'ai, !i. wan, 3an/+

/ai, ci0 shen+ 3a,, si, da, wu0 chan/.

/on/+ wei. !u+ yan/0, qi(0) /an(0) hui0 shan/+

n10 "u, zhen+ !ie., nan. -iao, cai. 'ian/.

zhi+ /uo, &i, /ai0, de. nen/. "o, wan/,

wan/0 tan. &i(0) duan0, "i. shi, !i0 chan/.

-in, shi(0) 2e0 3u,, qi, yu, nan. 'ian/,

"o, &ei+ si, ran0, shi+ zan, /ao+ yan/.

!in/0 -in/. wei. -ian., 2e, nian, zuo, shen/,

de. !ian, "in/. 'i,, -in/. duan+ &iao0 zhen/,

2on/+ /u0 chuan. shen/+, -u+ tan/. -i. tin/+

huo, yin+ e, !i+, 3u. yuan. shan, qin/,

chi0 &i, 3ei+ &ao0, cun, yin+ shi, !in/,

zi+ 3u, shi, !un+, yue+ yan. yu0 !in/,

-iao, dan/+ !ie. 'i,, zhon/+ ze. !in, "in/,

'in. shen+ '10 &o., su, -in/+ wen+ qin/,4

si, 'an. si+ -in+, ru. son/+ zhi+ shen/,

chuan+ 'iu. &u, -i+, yuan+ chen/. qu0 yin/,

ron/. zhi0 ruo, si+, yan. ci. an+ din/,

du0 chu+ chen/. "ei0, shen, zhon/+ yi. 'in/,

ron/. ye, suo0 !i+, !i. shen, wu. !in/,

-ue. you+ den/+ shi,, she, zhi. con/. zhen/,

cun. yi0 /an+ tan/., qu, er. yi, yon/0

yue, shu+ /ui, !ian,, 'i0 &ie. zun+ &ei+

shan/, he.4 -ia, "u,, 3u+ chan/, 3u, sui.

wai, shou, 3u, -un,, ru, 3en/, "u0 yi.

zhu+ /u+ &o. shu+, you. zi(0) &i0 er.

2on/0 huai. -ion/+ di,, ton/. qi, 'ian. zhi+

!iao+ you0 tou. 3en,, qie, "o. zhen+ /ui+

ren. ci. yin0 ce,, zao, ci, 3u. 'i.

!ie. yi, 'ian. tui,, dian+ $ei, 3ei0 2ui+

-in/, !in/, qin/. yi,, -in+ don/, shen. $i.

shou0 zhen+ zhi, "an0, zhu. wu, yi, yi.

!ian+ chi. ya0 cao+, hao0 !ue. zi, "i.

du+ yi, hua. -ia,, don/+ -i+ er, !in/+

&ei, "an/. "ian, 'uo,, 3u. wei, !u, !in/+

/on/+ dian, $an. yu,, 'ou. /uan+ 3ei+ !in/+

tu. -ie0 qin. shou,, hua, cai0 -ian+ 'in/.

&in/0 she, &an/, qi0, !ia0 zhan/, dui, yin/.

si, yan. she, -i., /u0 se, chui+ shen/+

shen/, !ie, na, &i,, &ian, zhuan, yi. -in/+

you, ton/+ /uan/0 nei,, zuo0 da. chen/. "in/.

!i, !i. 3en. dian0, yi, !u, qun. yin/+

du, /ao0 zhon/+ 'i,, qi+ shu+ &i, !in/+