1DL

The sages have no constant mind

1Wd

聖人無常心

The saint is errthy(earthy?) (impermanence)

1.1

聖

semantic 耳 (ear) + phonetic 呈

The bottom component must not be confused with 壬 or 王.

1.2

人

People.

side view of a standing man, highlighting the arms and legs. Compare 大.

1.3

無

1. to not have something; there is not …;There is no cloud in the sky; I don’t have any change.
2. Negation particle preceding verbs and adjectives: not, can’t; I want nothing from you.
3. have not; I didn’t tell him.

Interrogative particle.

A man with something long held in both hands. Dancing. This character is borrowed for “have no”, and the character 舞 is used for the original sense.

1.4

常

lasting

1. normal; general; common
2. constant; invariable
3. often; frequently

phonetic 尚 + semantic 巾 (cloth).

The character originally referred to “lower garment”, before being phonetically borrowed to mean “long-lasting; frequently”. The original sense is now represented by the character 裳 (lower garment).

1.5

心

Pictogram – a heart, now highly stylized.

2DL

They take the mind of the people as their mind

2Wd

以百姓心為心

Take the hearts of the people as their hearts

2.1

以

a preposition that expresses a boundary in spacetime or bearing; since time immemorial; The price is above one thousand yuan.

by; with; by means of; Schools should not judge students only by their results; One another treating an opposing side with the same attitude or behavior.

according to; birds of a feather flock together (lit. things will be gathered together according to category)

so as to; in order to; The public should take appropriate preventive measures against severe weather in order to minimize possible loss of life, injury and property damage.

because; because of; do not fail to commit a good act just because it is small in scale.

† therefore; thus

to use

a person (人) carrying something.

It is often simplified to 㠯 in pre-Qin ancient scripts.

2.2

百

semantic 一 + phonetic 白

2.3

姓

semantic 女 (woman; female) + phonetic 生

2.4

心

Heart.

See 1.5

2.5

為

1. to do; to make; to do whatever one wants to do
2. to administer; to govern
3. to construct; to make
4. (to turn, to transform) into; to; to divide into, to split into; Those two organizations have been amalgamated into single one; It will recrystallize into the original structure; He was promoted to colonel.
5. to be (equivalent to, equal to); Unemployment is running at 20 per cent; 7 mǐ. ― It is 7 metres in width; A kilogram is two pounds.
6. to take something as
7. to act as; to serve as; to behave as
8. as (in the capacity of)
9. by

Simplified from 爲.

In the oracle bone script, it is an ideogrammic compound: 又 (hand) + 象 (elephant) — a hand holding an elephant. The 又 later became 爪 (hand; claw).

Shuowen Jiezi interprets the character as a representation of the female macaque.

2.6

心

Heart.

See 1.5

3DL

Those who are good, I am good to them

3Wd

善者 吾善之

Good people, I’m good

3.1

善

Good.

Another form of 善 given in Shuowen is 譱. According to Shuowen, it is an ideogrammic compound (會意): 誩 (“to wrangle”) + 羊 (“sheep”) – good; virtuous. This interpretation may be difficult to comprehend.

The bronze inscription of 善 consisted of two 言 and one 羊. The 言 might have served as the phonetic component, while 羊 represented the sense “good; beautiful”. The small seal script of 善 was simplified from the bronze inscription form, consisting of one 言 below one 羊.

3.2

者

Of the; This, by

(Classical Chinese) Used at the end of a command.

(Classical Chinese) Used after a term, to mark a pause before defining the term.

(literary or regional) this

(agent suffix) -er; -ist; one who …; person involved in; the things which …

Used after a number, “before” 前 (qián) or “after” 後／后 (hòu) to refer to something mentioned previously

the original character for either 煮 (to boil) or 蔗 (sugarcane). Phonetically loaned for abstract meanings.

Used after a term, to mark a pause before defining the term.

3.3

吾

phonetic 五 + semantic 口 (mouth)

3.4

善

Good.

See 3.1

3.5

之

of the

indicates that prev word has possession of next

Indicates that the previous word modifies next

particle indicating preceding element is specialised or qualified by the next

(archaic) Particle infixed in a subject-predicate construct indicating a subordinate clause.

† this; these

† to sprout; to come about

† to go

(literary) The third-person pronoun: him, her, it, them, when it appears in a non-subject position in the sentence.

止 (foot) + 一 (the beginning place) – meaning “to go”.

4DL

Those who are not good, I am also good to them

4Wd

不善者吾亦善之

Those who are not good are also good

4.1

不

The character 不 originated as a pictograph of the calyx of a flower. It was then composed into a phono-semantic character with the pictograph for mouth (口), to form 否, representing “no” (negation). This composed meaning then spread back to the original character 不, making it a synonym of 否. A new character of 柎 was eventually created to represent the original meaning of calyx.

Following Shuowen’s interpretation, Karlgren and Wieger interpret it as a bird flying toward the sky (一). The sky being the limit for the bird, thus the idea of negation.

4.2

善

See 3.1

4.3

者

See 3.2

4.4

吾

See 3.3

4.5

亦

a human figure (compare 大) with water falling from them (roughly from arm pits). Original form of 腋 (armpit) or 液 (liquid). also; too; likewise

4.6

善

See 3.1

4.7

之

See 3.5

5DL

Thus the virtue of goodness

5Wd

德善

Virtue

5.1

德

semantic 彳 (road) + phonetic 惪 (virtue). 惪 is corrupted into 𢛳

5.2

善

Good.

See 3.1

6DL

Those who believe, I believe them

6Wd

信者 吾信之

Believer, I believe

6.1

信

人 (person) + 言 (word)

6.2

者

of the

See 3.2

6.3

吾

My.

See 3.3

6.4

信

Letter.

See 6.1

6.5

之

of the

See 3.5

7DL

Those who do not believe, I also believe them

7Wd

不信者吾亦信之

Un believers, I believe it

7.1

不

No.

See 4.1

7.2

信

Letter.

See 6.1

7.3

者

of the

See 3.2

7.4

吾

My

See 3.3

7.5

亦

Also.

See 4.5

7.6

信

Letter.

See 6.1

7.7

之

of the

See 3.5

8DL

Thus the virtue of belief

8Wd

德信

Morality letter; virtue belief

8.1

德

virtue

See 5.1

8.2

信

letter

See 6.1

9DL

The sages live in the world

9Wd

聖人之在天下歙歙焉

The saints are in the world

9.1

聖

Saint or sage

See 1.1

9.2

人

People.

See 1.2

9.3

之

of the

See 3.5

9.4

在

phonetic 才 + semantic 土 (earth).

在 was visually identical with 才 (sprout) in the oracle bone script and some of the bronze inscriptions. It may be either a phonetic loan or a figurative derivative.

9.5

天

Days.

1. sky; heavens; heavenly; celestial: sky; It’s getting dark.

2. (mythology or religion) heaven as the abode of the gods or the blessed departed; heavenly; to go up to the sky; to go to heaven; Heaven’s will

3. (mythology or religion) Heaven as an impersonal deity, often translated as God; God; Oh my God!; God helps those who help themselves.

4. top; overhead: footbridge; sunroof

5. weather; climate; weather; If the weather clears, we’ll go for a walk.

6. day (24 hours): today; tomorrow; three days

7. † day (as opposed to night): daytime

8. † season: spring, summer, autumn, winter

9. nature: natural disaster

10. natural; innate: nature, personality; genius

A top line representing the level above a man with outstretched arms (大 (dà)). Ancient representations of the character depicted a man with a large head, an anthropomorphic representation of heaven.

9.6

下

under.

to alight, to get off (a vehicle)

下 in its shell and bone form is an ideogram that shows the concept of down by showing one line below another (contrast 上). The shell and bone form evolved into 下, the character used today.

9.7

歙

composition ⿰翕欠

9.8

歙

meet

See 9.7

9.9

焉

phonetic 正 + semantic 鳥 (bird) ― a kind of bird

10DL

They cautiously merge their mind for the world

10Wd

為天下渾其心

For the world’s heart

10.1

為

For.

See 2.5

10.2

天

Days.

See 9.5

10.3

下

under

See 9.6

10.4

渾

Cautiously merge

semantic 氵 (river) + phonetic 軍

10.5

其

In the oracle bone script, it was originally 𠀠, a pictogram of a basket. In the bronze inscriptions, 丌 was added under the basket to represent a stand. It may also have acted as a phonetic component.

Later borrowed for an Old Chinese pronoun. The derivative 箕 refers to the original word.

10.6

心

Heart.

See 1.5

11DL

The people all pay attention with their ears and eyes

11Wd

百姓皆注其耳目

The people are all in their eyes and ears

11.1

百

Hundred.

See 2.2

11.2

姓

Name.

See 2.3

11.3

皆

比 + 白

11.4

注

semantic 水 (water) + phone 主

11.5

其

Its.

See 10.5

11.6

耳

an ear

11.7

目

human eye, now rotated 90 degrees. Compare the Egyptian hieroglyph 𓁹.

12DL

The sages care for them as children

12Wd

聖人皆孩之

Saints are children

12.1

聖

Saint or sage

See 1.1

12.2

人

People.

See 1.2

12.3

皆

Are

See 11.3

12.4

孩

semantic 子 + phonetic 亥

12.5

之

of the

See 3.5

1DL

Pursue knowledge, daily gain

1MW

為學日益

For learning more and more

1.1

為

1. to do; to make; to do whatever one wants to do
2. to administer; to govern
3. to construct; to make
4. (to turn, to transform) into; to; to divide into, to split into; Those two organizations have been amalgamated into single one; It will recrystallize into the original structure; He was promoted to colonel.
5. to be (equivalent to, equal to); Unemployment is running at 20 per cent; 7 mǐ. ― It is 7 metres in width; A kilogram is two pounds.
6. to take something as
7. to act as; to serve as; to behave as
8. as (in the capacity of)

by

Simplified from 爲.

In the oracle bone script, it is an ideogrammic compound: 又 (hand) + 象 (elephant) — a hand holding an elephant. The 又 later became 爪 (hand; claw).

Shuowen Jiezi interprets the character as a representation of the female macaque.

1.2

學

Learn.

Ancient forms: 斆, 斅. The former is constructed from the skeleton of 敎／教 (“to teach”) with the addition of two extra components: 1) a 𦥑 component around the top-left 爻 part, in this case signifying mingling hands (“hands-on learning”); 2) a 冖 (“cover”) over 子 (“child”), representing the cover of a building or school, i.e. the child learns in a roofed place. Shuowen regards 𦥑 as the phonetic component in the character, which may be true according to some Old Chinese reconstructions such as that of Pan Wuyun’s, though probably not others. See 教 for more. The earliest structure may suggest its relationship with 六, with reconstruction *rug.

1.3

日

Day.

Pictogram – the Sun. A dot or line was added in the centre to distinguish it from visually similar characters, e.g. 囗 (early form of 丁). Compare earlier forms of the character with the astronomical and astrological symbol for the Sun (☉) and the Egyptian hieroglyph 𓇳.

1.4

益

beneficial

水 (water) + 皿 (vessel). Original form of 溢 (to overflow).

1.4.1

利

Profit

benefit; advantage

禾 (“grain”) + 刀 (“knife”) – to reap grain (禾) with a knife (刀).

2DL

Pursue Tao, daily loss

2MW

為道日損

For Day Loss

2.1

為

For.

See 1.1

2.2

道

Road.

Phono-semantic compound: semantic 辵 (walking) + phonetic 首

2.3

日

Day.

See 1.3

2.4

損

Loss.

Original meaning 本义: Meaning to diminish.

English senses 英语理解: diminish; impair; injure

3DL

Loss and more loss

3MW

損之又損

Damage and loss

3.1

損

Loss.

See 2.4

3.2

之

of the .

Ideogrammic compound: 止 (“foot”) + 一 (the beginning place) – meaning “to go”.

3.3

又

1. again; once more
2. also; in addition
3. and; too

a right hand. Original form of 右 (right).

3.4

損

Loss.

See 2.4

4DL

Until one reaches unattached action

4MW

以至於無為

so that nothing can be said

4.1

以

1. a preposition that expresses a boundary in spacetime or bearing; since time immemorial; The price is above one thousand yuan.
2. by; with; by means of; Schools should not judge students only by their results; One another treating an opposing side with the same attitude or behavior.
3. according to; birds of a feather flock together (lit. things will be gathered together according to category)
4. so as to; in order to; The public should take appropriate preventive measures against severe weather in order to minimize possible loss of life, injury and property damage.
5. because; because of; do not fail to commit a good act just because it is small in scale.
6. † therefore; thus
7. to use

a person (人) carrying something. It is often simplified to 㠯 in pre-Qin ancient scripts.

4.2

至

To; to reach; to arrive

extreme; most

composition ⿱𠫔土

4.3

於

In; (indicates time or place) in; at; on

From an ancient variant form of 烏. Not related to 方 or 㫃.

4.4

無

1. to not have something; there is not …;There is no cloud in the sky; I don’t have any change.
2. Negation particle preceding verbs and adjectives: not, can’t; I want nothing from you.
3. have not; I didn’t tell him.
4. Interrogative particle.

A man with something long held in both hands. Dancing. This character is borrowed for “have no”, and the character 舞 is used for the original sense.

4.5

為

For

See 1.1

5DL

With unattached action, there is nothing one cannot do

5MW

無為而無不為

Do nothing but do nothing

5.1

無

See 4.4

5.2

為

See 1.1

5.3

而

1. and (used to connect two clauses or adjectives); a great and arduous task
2. then (connecting two verbs or verb-phrases); and
3. and yet; but; nevertheless (conjunction indicating concession or contrast); in name but not in reality
4. to (often used with 自); from top to bottom; top-down
5. particle between adverbial element and verb to indicate cause, purpose, or manner; to give up halfway; to make an accurate prediction despite its unfortunate nature; particle between two verbs or verb phrases indicating that the first is used adverbially ; to fail to understand (literally, “to be unable to enter by finding the gate”)
6. modal particle indicating hypothetical condition
7. modal particle indicating tendency or immediate action

8.(literary) you; your

a beard. Original form of 耏 or 髵.

and (used to connect two clauses or adjectives)

5.4

無

See 4.4

5.5

不

1. (preceding verbs and adjectives) not; This is not good; He does not love you.
2. (between a verb and a complement) can not; I can’t see you;
3. no (answer to a yes-no question); Are you Japanese? No, I’m not.
4. Used with 就 (jiù) to indicate the first of two alternatives; Everyday, he either goes to work or volunteers, not leaving any time for rest.
5. (colloquial) Question particle placed at the end of the sentence.
6. (colloquial) Intensifying particle often used with 好 (hǎo).
7. (archaic) Meaningless particle used in poems and other texts.

The character 不 originated as a pictograph of the calyx of a flower. It was then composed into a phono-semantic character with the pictograph for mouth (口), to form 否, representing “no” (negation). This composed meaning then spread back to the original character 不, making it a synonym of 否. A new character of 柎 was eventually created to represent the original meaning of calyx.

Following Shuowen’s interpretation, Karlgren and Wieger interpret it as a bird flying toward the sky (一). The sky being the limit for the bird, thus the idea of negation.

5.6

為

See 1.1

6DL

Take the world by constantly applying non-interference

6MW

取天下常以無事

Take the world by doing nothing

6.1

取

1. to take; to fetch
2. to get; to obtain
3. to receive
4. to select; to choose

耳 (“ear”) + 又 (“hand”) – often explained as “to take an enemy’s ear and carry it in one’s hand”, following the Shuowen. Note, however, the secondary meaning of 耳 = “handle”.

6.2

天

Days.

1. sky; heavens; heavenly; celestial: sky; It’s getting dark.

2. (mythology or religion) heaven as the abode of the gods or the blessed departed; heavenly; to go up to the sky; to go to heaven; Heaven’s will

3. (mythology or religion) Heaven as an impersonal deity, often translated as God; God; Oh my God!; God helps those who help themselves.

4. top; overhead: footbridge; sunroof

5. weather; climate; weather; If the weather clears, we’ll go for a walk.

6. day (24 hours): today; tomorrow; three days

7. † day (as opposed to night): daytime

8. † season: spring, summer, autumn, winter

9. nature: natural disaster

10. natural; innate: nature, personality; genius

A top line representing the level above a man with outstretched arms (大 (dà)). Ancient representations of the character depicted a man with a large head, an anthropomorphic representation of heaven.

6.3

下

under.

1. (lower; inferior; located below)
2. (to go to a lower place)
3. (to move something to a lower place)
4. (a short time)
5. to alight, to get off (a vehicle)

下 in its shell and bone form is an ideogram that shows the concept of down by showing one line below another (contrast 上). The shell and bone form evolved into 下, the character used today.

6.4

常

lasting

1. normal; general; common
2. constant; invariable
3. often; frequently

phonetic 尚 + semantic 巾 (cloth).

The character originally referred to “lower garment”, before being phonetically borrowed to mean “long-lasting; frequently”. The original sense is now represented by the character 裳 (lower garment).

6.5

以

To.

See 4.1

6.6

無

No.

See 4.4

6.7

事

Things

1. thing; matter
2. task; work; job; career
3. misfortune; mishap; accident; incident
4. (dialectal Hakka, Min Bei) speech; words; language
5. to serve; to attend to someone
6. (Beijing, erhua-ed) fussy; pernickety; troublesome

又 (“hand”) + 中 (“flag or hunting weapon”) – flag or hunting weapon in hand > to perform one’s job. Compare 史, 吏.

7DL

及其有事

The one who interferes

7MW

及其有事

and what’s wrong with it

7.1

及

And.

1. to reach; to extend to
2. to catch up to; to reach the level of
3. to be in time for; in time
4. and; as well as

人 (person) + 又 (hand) – a hand grabbing a person.

7.2

其

1. he; she; it; they; one
2. his; her; its; their
3. † that; those
4. † among which; therein
5. † probably; perhaps
6. † (particle indicating intention) let, shall, will
7. † (adverb indicating a rhetorical question)
8. † (adverb indicating imperative)
9. † if
10. † (conjunction indicating a question with choices) or

In the oracle bone script, it was originally 𠀠, a pictogram of a basket. In the bronze inscriptions, 丌 was added under the basket to represent a stand. It may also have acted as a phonetic component.

Later borrowed for an Old Chinese pronoun. The derivative 箕 refers to the original word.

7.3

有

Yes.

1. to have; to possess (when a subject is present)
2. there is; to exist (when a subject is absent)
3. (euphemistic) to be pregnant with a child
4. abundant; affluent
5. many; much; (of time) long; (of age) old
6. some (indefinite pronoun)
7. (literary or dialectal) Placed before a verb to emphasize that the action has been done.

phonetic 又 (“hand”) + semantic ⺼ (“meat”) – a hand holding meat, hence “in possession of”. The hand shape has been significantly abstracted; compare 右.

Alternatively, the graph was perhaps originally intended for the word 醢 (“minced pickled meat”), which also has the 又 element as phonetic.

7.4

事

Things

1. thing; matter
2. task; work; job; career
3. misfortune; mishap; accident; incident
4. (dialectal Hakka, Min Bei) speech; words; language
5. to serve; to attend to someone

(Beijing, erhua-ed) fussy; pernickety; troublesome

又 (“hand”) + 中 (“flag or hunting weapon”) – flag or hunting weapon in hand > to perform one’s job. Compare 史, 吏.

8DL

不足以取天下

is not qualified to take the world

8MW

不足以取天下

Not enough to take the world

8.1

不

No.

See 5.5

8.2

足

Foot; excessive; to satisfy; to fulfill; satisfied; to satisfy; to stop; to cease; enough; sufficient; not lacking; abundant; affluent

Picture of the calf of the leg on top of the foot.

8.3

以

To.

See 4.1

8.4

取

Take.

See 6.1

8.5

天

Days.

See 6.2

8.6

下

under

See 6.3

#

Chinese.Characters

Translations:.Derek.Lin./MS.Word

SmlSealScript

Etymology

1DL

不出戶 知天下

Without going out the door, know the world

1MW

不出戶 知天下

Don’t know the world from home.

1.1

不

No.

The character 不 originated as a pictograph of the calyx of a flower. It was then composed into a phono-semantic character with the pictograph for mouth (口), to form 否, representing “no” (negation). This composed meaning then spread back to the original character 不, making it a synonym of 否. A new character of 柎 was eventually created to represent the original meaning of calyx.

Following Shuowen’s interpretation, Karlgren and Wieger interpret it as a bird flying toward the sky (一). The sky being the limit for the bird, thus the idea of negation.

1.2

出

Out

止 (“foot”) + 凵 (“cave”) – to step out of a cave; to exit. Compare 各. Antonym: 入 (rù) an arrowhead indicating “to enter”.

1.3

戶

Households.

half of 門 (“door”).

1.4

知

Know; to know; to understand; to comprehend

phonetic 矢 (arrow) + semantic 口 (mouth).

This may also be an ideogram – words coming out of people who know are like arrows being fired.

1.5

天

Days.

A top line representing the level above a man with outstretched arms (大 (dà)). Ancient representations of the character depicted a man with a large head, an anthropomorphic representation of heaven.

1.6

下

under.

下 in its shell and bone form is an ideogram that shows the concept of down by showing one line below another (contrast 上). The shell and bone form evolved into 下, the character used today.

2DL

不闚牖 見天道

Without peering out the window, see the Heavenly Tao

2MW

不闚牖 見天道

Don’t peep out the lattice window see heaven again.

2.1

不

No.

See 1.1

2.2

闚

Peep; flash; flashing; steal look

Original meaning 本义: Meaning to watch, as to watch from a door.

2.3

牖

lattice window

目 (“eye”) + 儿 (“human”) – an eye on a pair of legs. Originally a human figure with a large eye for a head.

2.4

見

See.

an eye on a pair of legs. Originally a human figure with a large eye for a head.

2.5

天

Days.

See 1.5

2.6

道

Road.

Phono-semantic compound: semantic 辵 (walking) + phonetic 首

3DL

其出彌遠

The further one goes

3MW

其出彌遠

It’s a long way off.

3.1

其

Its; it is; he; she; it; they; one

In the oracle bone script, it was originally 𠀠, a pictogram of a basket. In the bronze inscriptions, 丌 was added under the basket to represent a stand. It may also have acted as a phonetic component.

Later borrowed for an Old Chinese pronoun. The derivative 箕 refers to the original word.

3.2

出

Out

止 (“foot”) + 凵 (“cave”) – to step out of a cave; to exit. Compare 各. Antonym: 入 (rù) an arrowhead indicating “to enter”.

3.3

彌

extensive, full; fill; complete

semantic 弓 + phonetic 爾

3.4

遠

Far; distant; remote; not intimate; distant; profound

semantic 辵 (walk) + phonetic 袁

4DL

其知彌少

The less one knows

4MW

其知彌少

It knows very little.

4.1

其

See 3.1

4.2

知

See 1.4

4.3

彌

extensive, full; fill; complete

See 3.3

4.4

少

Less; few; little in number; not many

four dots; few; little. Compare 小 (small), which is depicted by three dots.

5DL

是以聖人

Therefore the sage

5MW

是以聖人

is a saint.

5.1

是

Is; this; this thing; thus

Originally a phono-semantic compound: semantic 早 + phonetic 止, but the original meaning is unclear. It has been suggested that 早 looks like a spoon, so 是 may have been the original character for 匙 (spoon). As early as in late bronze inscriptions, the lower part of 早 split off and combined with 止 to give 昰, which carried over to the small seal script, and Shuowen considers this a compound of 日 (sun) + 正 (upright; right) (i.e. as the upright sun).

5.2

以

To.

a person (人) carrying something. It is often simplified to 㠯 in pre-Qin ancient scripts.

5.3

聖

Evolved; holy, sacred

semantic 耳 (ear) + phonetic 呈

The bottom component must not be confused with 壬 or 王.

5.4

人

People.

side view of a standing man, highlighting the arms and legs. Compare 大.

6DL

不行而知

Knows without going

6MW

不行而知

I don’t know.

6.1

不

No

See 1.1

6.2

行

Yes; (literary or dialectal) to walk

a street intersection.

Originally symmetric, it has been simplified asymmetrically; the left half 彳 is widely used as a radical, while the right half 亍 finds occasional use, and the character can be broken up as 彳 + 亍, though originally it was not a compound.

6.3

而

And.

a beard. Original form of 耏 or 髵.

and (used to connect two clauses or adjectives)

6.4

知

Know.

See 1.4

7DL

不見而名

Names without seeing

7MW

不見而名

Not by name.

7.1

不

No

See 1.1

7.2

見

See.

See 2.4

7.3

而

And.

See 6.3

7.4

名

Name; reputation; fame

夕 (crescent moon) + 口 (mouth) — to say one’s own name to identify oneself in the dark.

An alternative theory has been proposed based on Shang era texts. 口 was originally used to write both 口 and 名. 夕 standing for what later came to be written 明, was added as a phonetic indicator to disambiguate the two meanings.

8DL

不為而成

Achieves without striving

8MW

不為而成

Not for it.

8.1

不

No

See 1.1

8.2

為

For; the activity; standard

Simplified from 爲. In the oracle bone script, it is an ideogrammic compound: 又 (hand) + 象 (elephant) — a hand holding an elephant. The 又 later became 爪 (hand; claw). Shuowen Jiezi interprets the character as a representation of the female macaque.

8.3

而

And.

See 6.3

8.4

成

Yes; to succeed; finish; complete; accomplish wholeness

Phono-semantic compound:semantic 戊 + phonetic丁. Etymology: Cognate with 盛 (“to hold with a receptacle”), 城 (city wall; city), 盛 (abundant; flourishing).

or

#

Small Seal Script

Wang Bi Original Character Translation

Modified

1

(1) great (2) wholeness (3) appears (4) lacking.

Great wholeness appears lacking

2

(5) it is (6) in use (7) in- (8) corruptible

it is in use in-corruptible

3

(1) great (2) fullness (3) appears (4) overflowing

Great fullness appears overflowing

4

(5) it is (6) in use (7) without (8) limit

it is in use without limit

5

(1) great (2) stature (3) appears (4) humbled

Great stature appears humbled

it is in use undiminished

6

(5) great (6) timing (7) appears (8) clumsy

Great timing appears clumsy

it is in use not imperfect

7

(9) great (10) debate (11) appears (12) inarticulate

Great debate appears inarticulate

it is in use never devolving

8

(1) agitation (2) overcomes (3) the cold

Agitation overcomes the cold

9

(4) stillness (5) overcomes (6) heat

Stillness overcomes heat

10

(7) clarity (8) [in] tranquility (9) the activity (10) [in] heaven (11) below (12) to right things

Clarity [in] tranquility the activity [in] heaven below to right things

An alternative theory has been proposed based on Shang era texts. 口 was originally used to write both 口 and 名. 夕 standing for what later came to be written 明, was added as a phonetic indicator to disambiguate the two meanings.

emphatic or interrogative pronoun

To catch 享 a lamb 丮

Chi (2010) suggests that meat is scarce in ancient times, so two pieces of meat is a lot, citing a passage from Mencius: 七十者可以食肉矣。= Persons of seventy years may eat meat.

Chang Ping-chuan suggests that it is the duplicative nature of the character that gives the meaning of “many”, just like in 林 (“forest”), from 木 (“tree; wood”).

Derivative of 古 (old). The sense “cause, reason” may be related to (thing or person of former times), or the same word as 固 (solid, secure, sure) (Schuessler 2007, apud Pulleyblank 1989).

from Proto-Sino-Tibetan (full; flat; straight) and cognate with 斟 (to pour), 淫 (excessive) and Tibetan གཏམས (go fill up).

phonetic 旡 + semantic 心 (heart).

As early as the Qin dynasty, a meaningless component 夊 (foot) was added to the bottom of the character, as with some other characters depicting people. Compare 憂 (from 㥑). Further corruption turned the original phonetic 旡 into ⿱爫冖.

This may also be an ideogram – words coming out of people who know are like arrows being fired.

Following Shuowen’s interpretation, Karlgren and Wieger interpret it as a bird flying toward the sky (一). The sky being the limit for the bird, thus the idea of negation.

to bring to an end; to stop; to relieve 止癢 / 止痒 ― zhǐyǎng ― to stop itching (irritation)

to end; to finish

Compare to 夊, 夂, which have similar shape in oracle script, but pointing down (toe pointing right), and 𡕒 (as in right side of 舛, roughly ヰ, toe pointing left), hence different evolution.

Compound 殆 from bone 歹 dǎi and phonetic mouth-speak 台 tái.

Three pronunciations below are cognate, all derived from the original root of 張 (to make long; to stretch; to string a bow).

 1.2

下

under.

下 in its shell and bone form is an ideogram that shows the concept of down by showing one line below another (contrast 上). The shell and bone form evolved into 下, the character used today.

1.3

 之

of the .

Ideogrammic compound: 止 (“foot”) + 一 (the beginning place) – meaning “to go”.

1.4

 至

To; to reach; to arrive

extreme; most

composition ⿱𠫔土

𠫔

forearm

土

Soil.

1.5

柔

Soft.

phonetic 矛 + semantic 木 (tree) – wood soft enough that it can easily be cut.

矛

Spear.

木

tree

2

馳騁天下之至堅

Override the hardest things of the world

2.1

馳

to speed; to gallop

composition ⿰馬也

馬

Horse.

也

Also.

2.2

騁

to hasten; to run; to open up; to gallop

composition ⿰馬甹

馬

Horse.

甹

chivalrous knight

2.3

天

See 1.1

2.4

下

See 1.2

2.5

之

See 1.3

2.6

至

See 1.4

2.7

堅

strong

phonetic 臤 + semantic 土

臤

firm and solid, rigid, stable

土

soil

3

無有

That which has no substance

 3.1

無

No.

A man with something long held in both hands. Dancing. This character is borrowed for “have no”, and the character 舞 is used for the original sense.

 3.2

有

Yes.

phonetic 又 (“hand”) + semantic ⺼ (“meat”) – a hand holding meat, hence “in possession of”. The hand shape has been significantly abstracted; compare 右.

Alternatively, the graph was perhaps originally intended for the word 醢 (“minced pickled meat”), which also has the 又 element as phonetic.

4

入於無間

Enters into that which has no openings

4.1

入

Into.

an arrowhead indicating "to enter".

4.2

於

In; (indicates time or place) in; at; on

From an ancient variant form of 烏. Not related to 方 or 㫃.

4.3

無

See 3.1

4.4

間

room.

門 (“door”) + 日 (“sun”). Originally 閒, moonlight (月) peeking through a door (門) – interstice; space.

5

吾是以知無為之有益

From this I know the benefits of unattached actions

5.1

吾

My.

(literary or dialectal) I

(literary or dialectal) my

phonetic 五 + semantic 口 (“mouth”).

5.2

是

Is.

Originally a phono-semantic compound: semantic 早 + phonetic 止, but the original meaning is unclear. It has been suggested that 早 looks like a spoon, so 是 may have been the original character for 匙. As early as in late bronze inscriptions, the lower part of 早 split off and combined with 止 to give 昰, which carried over to the small seal script, and Shuowen considers this a compound of 日 (“sun”) + 正 (“upright; right”) (i.e. as the upright sun).

5.3

以

To.

a preposition that expresses a boundary in spacetime or bearing

a person (人) carrying something. It is often simplified to 㠯 in pre-Qin ancient scripts.

5.4

知

Know.

phonetic 矢 (“arrow”) + semantic 口

矢

arrow

口

mouth

5.5

無

See 3.1

 5.6

為

For.

Simplified from 爲.

In the oracle bone script, it is an ideogrammic compound: 又 (hand) + 象 (elephant) — a hand holding an elephant. The 又 later became 爪 (hand; claw).

Shuowen Jiezi interprets the character as a representation of the female macaque.

5.7

之

See 1.3

5.8

有

See 3.2

 5.9

益

beneficial

水 (water) + 皿 (vessel). Original form of 溢 (to overflow).

 5.9.1

利

Profit

benefit; advantage

禾 (“grain”) + 刀 (“knife”) – to reap grain (禾) with a knife (刀).

6

不言之教

The teaching without words

6.1

不

No.

The character 不 originated as a pictograph of the calyx of a flower. It was then composed into a phono-semantic character with the pictograph for mouth (口), to form 否, representing “no” (negation). This composed meaning then spread back to the original character 不, making it a synonym of 否. A new character of 柎 was eventually created to represent the original meaning of calyx.

Following Shuowen’s interpretation, Karlgren and Wieger interpret it as a bird flying toward the sky (一). The sky being the limit for the bird, thus the idea of negation.

6.2

言

words.

Ideogram: 言 was created by adding a mark to 舌 to indicate movement of the tongue.[1] This indicates speech where 舌 is a mouth (口) with a tongue sticking out.

Shuowen erroneously analyzes the glyph as a phono-semantic compound: phonetic 䇂 + semantic 口 (mouth).

6.3

之

See 1.3

6.4

教

Teach.

phonetic 爻 (divination) + semantic 子 (child) + semantic 攵 (teaching cane) – teaching a child counting or divination.

7

無為之益

The benefits of actions without attachment

7.1

無

See 3.1

7.2

為

See 5.6

7.3

之

See 1.3

7.4

益

See 5.9.1

8

天下希及之

Are rarely matched in the world

8.1

天

See 1.1

8.2

下

See 1.2

8.3

希

Hope

rare; hope, expect, strive for

爻 + 巾

爻

the solid and broken lines of the eight trigrams

巾

Towel.

8.4

及

And.

人 (person) + 又 (hand) – a hand grabbing a person.

8.5

之

See 1.3