1、子不学， If a pupil plays truant,非所宜。 It proves to be improper.幼不学， If a child fails to learn,老何为？ What could he be when getting old玉不琢， Without being carved and polished,不成器。 A jade cant be a work of art. 人不学， If one does not learn,不知义。 Hell not know human virtues. 为人子， When one is young, 方少时。 He shoul
2、d make the best of his time, 亲师友， Associating with the good and the wise, 习礼仪。 And learning to stand on ceremony. 香九龄， When Huang Xiang was nine years old, 能温席。 He could warm the mat for his father. 孝于亲， Whoever has love for their parents所当执。 Should be as kind as such. 融四岁， When Kong Rong was four y
3、ears old, 能让梨。 He could offer his brothers the bigger pears. 弟于长， Even if one is quite young,宜先知。 One should love ones brothers. 首孝悌， One should bear familial love from the outset, 次见闻。 Before he starts to learn,知某数， Including counting and computing,识某文。 As well as reading and writing. 一而十， One time
4、s ten is ten, 十而百， Ten times ten is a hundred, 百而千， A hundred times ten is a thousand,千而万。 And a thousand times ten is ten thousand. 三才者， Therere three essential elements to know, 天地人。 They are heaven, earth and man. 三光者， There are three kinds of light;日月星。 Theyre from the sun, the moon and the star
5、s. 三纲者， There are three ethical disciplines:君臣义； That of loyalty between the king and his men,父子亲， of love between father and son,夫妇顺。 And of harmony between husband and wife. 曰春夏， There are Spring and Summer, 曰秋冬。 And Autumn and Winter:此四时， They are the four seasons, 运不穷。 Alternating all the year r
6、ound. 曰南北， There are north and south, 曰西东。 And east and west. 此四方， They are the four directions, 应乎中。 Laid out by central position. 曰水火， There are water and fire, 土木金。 And wood, metal, and earth: 此五行， They are five elements, 本乎数。 Related to the numerals. 曰仁义， There are benevolence, righteousness, 礼智
7、信。 And courtesy, intelligence and loyalty. 此五常， They are the five human norms, 不容紊。 Which are regulated in certain terms. 稻粱菽， There are rice, sorghum and bean, 麦黍稷。 And wheat, millet and corn:此六谷， They are six kinds of grain 人所食。 For one to serve as food. 马牛羊， There are the horse, the ox and the sh
8、eep,鸡犬豕。 And the foul, the dog, and the pig:此六畜， They are six kinds of livestock, 人所饲。 Raised in herds by the farmers. 曰喜怒， There are joy and anger,曰哀惧； And sorrow and fear, 爱恶欲， And love, hate and desire:七情具。 They are seven human feelings altogether. 匏土革， There are gourd, pottery, leather, 木石金； And
9、 wood, stone, and metal, 丝与竹， Together with string and bamboo, 乃八音。 All these can be made into musical instruments. 高曾祖， From his great-great-grandfather, 父而身； To his great-grandfather, 身而子， To his grandfather and father, 子而孙； To himself and his son, 自子孙， To his grandson and great-grandson,至玄曾。 And
10、to his great-great-grandson:乃九族， Whoever is born into the world人之伦。 Will face the nine-layer relation. 父子恩， There should be affection between father and son, 夫妇从； As well as love between husband and wife. 兄则友， Brothers should be kind to each other:弟则恭； The elders amiable, and the younger respectful.
11、 长幼序， A harmony should be maintained 友与朋； Among families as well as friends. 君则敬， Even the king should be cordial, 臣则忠。 To whom the subjects can be loyal. 此十义， These are called the Ten Doctrines 人所同。 That everyone in the world should follow. 凡训蒙， To enlighten the school children, 须讲究。 Good methods m
12、ust be taken. 详训诂， The meaning must be correctly grasped, 明句读。 And the syntax clear in mind. 为学者， A pupil must start his learning 必有初。 From the very beginning. 小学终， After he has learned the basics, 至四书。 Hed learn the Four Books next. 论语者， The first book is Confucius Analects, 二十篇。 Composed of twenty
13、 chapters，群弟子， Which were recorded by his disciples记善言。 And put together as living doctrines. 孟子者， The second book is called Mencius, 七篇止。 Consisting of seven sections, 讲道德， In which is highlighted moralities, 说仁义。 As well as benevolence and righteousness. 作中庸， The third book is the Doctrine of the
14、Mean, 子思笔。 Written by Zi Si, Confucius grandson, 中不偏， Who poses all midway, 庸不易。 In which the common truth exists. 作大学， Zeng Zi wrote the Great learning, 乃曾子。 From which one can achieve a great deal. 自修齐， He demonstrated a way to self-improvement 至平治。 From the individual life to the social affairs.
15、孝经通， When ones mastered the Filial Scripture, 四书熟。 Together with the four books. 如六经， The Six Confucian Scriptures 始可读。 Can be for him a new start.诗书易， The Songs, the History, and the Changes, 礼春秋。 And the Annals and the Rituals：号六经， Are called the Six Confucian Scriptures, 当讲求。 Which are needed to
16、be studied thoroughly. 有连山， There was Lianshan in the Xia Dynasty, 有归藏； Which was called Guizang in the Shang, 有周易， And Zhouyi in the Zhou, 三易详。 All refer to the Book of Changes. 有典谟， With the records of the early sages deeds, 有训诰； And with the regulations and laws, 有誓命， As well as the decrees and r
17、ules 书之奥。 The Book of History is hard to read. 我周公， A sage is called the Duke of Zhou, 作周礼。 Who drafted the rituals for the country. 着六官， He appointed six ministers, 存治体。 By whom the nation was governed. 大小戴， Dai and his nephew were two scholars, 着礼记。 Who annotated the Book of Rituals. 述圣言， By diggi
18、ng from the sages words, 礼乐备。 The Book of Music came from the Ritual. 曰国风， With the National Morals, 曰雅颂。 And the Grace and the Paeans, 号四诗， The Book of Songs is divided into four sections, 当讽咏。 And each should be chanted and recited. 诗既亡， When tradition of collecting folk songs is lost, 春秋作。 The Bo
19、ok of History was compiled, 寓褒贬， Which sets the moral code for state officials, 别善恶。 And which judges the good from the evil. 三传者， Three commentaries have been given 有公羊； To the Book of History ever written:有左氏， There are three commentary authors:有谷梁。 Gong Yang, Zuo Qiuming and Gu Liang. 经既明， After
20、having grasped the classics,方读子。 One can read the works of other schools, 撮其要， Not only drawing up the essentials, 记其事。 But also learning by heart the details. 五子者， Five figures should be mentioned 有荀扬； Of the great masters of thought:文中子， They are named Xun Zi and Yang Zi, 及老庄。 And Wen Zhong Zi, La
21、o Zi and Zhuang Zi.经子通， With a thorough understanding of the above mentioned, 读诸史。 One can proceed to historical works. 考世系， From each phase of historical evolution, 知始终。 One can learn the ups and downs of each reign. 自羲农， There lived Fu Xi and Shen Nong, 至皇帝。 As well as Xuan Yuan. 号三皇， They were ca
22、lled the Three Emperors, 居上世。 Living long before the good old days.唐有虞， Yao and Shun reigned in the later years, 号二帝。 Who were called the Two Emperors. 相揖逊， Both yielded the crown to capable men, 称盛世。 And their reigns were called the heydays. 夏有禹， There lived Yu in the Xia Dynasty, 商有汤。 And there ap
23、peared Tang in the Shang;周文武， Together with King Zhou Wen and his son, 称三王。 They were called the Three Great Kings. 夏传子， After Yu was succeeded by his son, 家天下。 All under heaven were ruled by one family. 四百载， And the Xia Dynasty lasted four centuries long, 迁夏社。 Till there were revolution in the coun
24、try. 汤伐夏， The revolution against Xia was led by Tang, 国号商。 Who founded a new dynasty called Shang. 六百载， Six centuries had passed 至纣亡。 Before it was overthrown in the reign of Zhu. 文武王， Zhou Dynasty was founded by King Zhou Wu,始诛纣。 Who captured and beheaded cruel Zhu. 八百载， The Zhou Dynasty lasted eig
25、ht centuries, 最长久。 And its the longest dynasty in history. 周撤东， When the capital of Zhou was moved east, 王纲坠。 The whole state began to go downward. 逞干戈， Seas of wars broke out everywhere, 尚游说。 And politicians ran canvassing about. 始春秋， The East Zhou began with the Spring and Autumn, 终战国。 And ended w
26、ith the Warring states. 五霸强， Five Dukes ruled in the former period, 七雄出。 And seven powers dominated in the latter. 嬴秦氏， Emperor Qin Shihuang appeared, 始兼并。 And annexed all states into one empire. 传二世， When he was succeeded by his evil son, 楚汉争。 The Chun and the Han began to fight for the crown. 高祖兴，
27、 When Liu Bang won over Xiang Yu, 汉业建。 He, as the founder of the Han Dynasty, was called Gao Zu. 至孝平， And during the reign of Emperor Xiao Ping, 王莽篡。 The Han collapsed with Wang Mangs usurping. 光武兴， The throne was restored by Liu Xiu, 为东汉。 Who was crowned Emperor Guang Wu. 四百年， The later four-period
28、 is called the East Han, 终于献。 Ruined in the reign of Emperor Xian. 魏蜀吴， Three new states of Wei, Shu, and Wu, 争汉鼎。 Tussled fiercely for the throne of the Han. 号三国， They were called the Three States, 迄两晋。 To be replaced by two Jins in chains of was. 宋齐继， The Song and the Qi rose one after another, 梁陈
29、承。 And the Liang and the Chen succeeded later. 为南朝， They were called the South Dynasties as a whole. 都金陵。 With their capitals in Jinling city. 北元魏， Yuan founded in the north a reign of Wei, 分东西。 Splitting into two sections, the east and the west. 宇文周， West Wei was renamed North Zhou by Yuwen Jue;与高齐。East Wei was dominated by Gao Yang with the tit
