Classical Chinese is a written language based on ancient spoken Chinese. In ancient times, the difference between classical Chinese and spoken language was minimal. Let’s take a look at classical Chinese classics and their translations, for your reference only! Thanks!
1. Sheep have the kindness of kneeling down to breastfeed, and crows have the kindness of feeding back. ——"Zeng Guang Xian Wen"
Translation of the poem: Lambs have the act of gratitude by kneeling down to receive breast milk; crows have the affection of feeding food to the mother crow; children must know how to be filial to their parents.
2. Don’t do evil because it’s small, and don’t do good because it’s small. ——"Three Kingdoms"
Verse Translation: Don't do anything just because it is a small, inconspicuous bad thing; on the contrary, do something small. Don't do something good that benefits others just because it doesn't mean much.
3. Seeing good is like falling short, and seeing bad is like exploring the soup. ——"The Analects of Confucius"
Translation of the poem: When I see a good person, I am afraid that it will be too late to learn from him; when I see a good thing, I am afraid that it will be too late and I will not be able to do it. When you see evil people or bad things, it's like coming into contact with hot water. You should leave immediately and stay away.
4. If you are generous to yourself but do not blame others, you will be far away from resentment. ——"The Analects of Confucius"
Poetry Translation: To work hard and take the main responsibility for mistakes is to "be generous to oneself"; to be more understanding and tolerant to others is to "take less responsibility from others", like this .If we talk, we won’t resent each other.
5. The beauty of a gentleman is not the evil of a man. The villain is on the contrary. ——"The Analects of Confucius"
Verse Translation A gentleman always starts from the desire to be kind or beneficial to others, and wholeheartedly promotes others to realize their good intentions and legitimate requirements, and does not look at the world with cold eyes. Or they are afraid that the world will not be chaotic and will not add fuel to the fire when others have failures, mistakes, or pain. The villain is on the contrary, always "the evil of an adult is not the beauty of an adult".
6. When you see a virtuous person, think about them, and when you see a virtuous person, you should reflect on yourself. ——"The Analects of Confucius"
Verse translation: When you see someone who has strengths and advantages that exceed your own in a certain aspect, you should humbly ask for advice, study hard, and find ways to catch up with him and reach the same level as him; when you see someone If there are some shortcomings or deficiencies, you should calmly reflect and see if you have the same shortcomings or deficiencies as others.
7. Don’t do to others what you don’t want others to do to you. ——"The Analects of Confucius"
Verse translation: If you don't want anything (pain, disaster, misfortune...), don't impose it on others.
8. Do your duty and do not give in to the teacher. ——"The Analects of Confucius"
When you encounter a good thing that you should do, you should not hesitate. Even if the teacher is nearby, you should rush to do it. Later it developed into the idiom "do your duty without giving in".
9. A gentleman wants to be slow in words but quick in deeds. ——"The Analects of Confucius"
Verse Translation A gentleman does not talk too much, but he is quick and dexterous in his actions.
10. If two people are of the same mind, their sharpness will break through metal; if they speak of the same mind, they will stink like orchids. ——"Book of Changes"
Poetry Translation People who work together are strong enough to break hard metal; people who work together express unanimous opinions and are persuasive, and people are like smelling fragrance. The orchid fragrance is easy to accept.
11. A gentleman keeps his weapons hidden and waits for the time to come. ————"Book of Changes"
Verse Translation Even if a gentleman has outstanding talents and extraordinary skills, he will not show off or show off everywhere. It's about putting talents or skills to use when necessary.
12. If you are full, you will suffer losses, but if you are modest, you will benefit. ————"Shang"
Poetry Translation Being complacent about the achievements you have achieved will lead to losses and disasters; being humble and always feeling your own shortcomings will benefit from it.
13. Isn’t it a gentleman if a person doesn’t know something but doesn’t feel embarrassed? ————"The Analects of Confucius"
Verse translation: If I have achieved something and others don't understand it, I will never feel angry or aggrieved. Isn't this also a sign of gentlemanly demeanor?
14. Be true to your words and be resolute in your actions. ——"The Analects of Confucius"
If you have said something in the translation of the poem, you must keep your word; if you have determined what you want to do, you must do it resolutely and courageously.
15. No intention, no necessity, no solidity, no me. ——"The Analects of Confucius"
The translation of the poem tells the facts and does not make assumptions out of thin air; when encountering problems, do not be arbitrary or willful, but do what is feasible; be flexible in doing things, not rigid; do not take "I" as the center in everything, do not Self-righteous, work together with the people around you to complete the task together.
16. If you are a person of three, you must have a teacher. Choose the good ones and follow them, and change the bad ones. ——"The Analects of Confucius"
Verse Translation When three people are together, there must be someone among them who is worth learning in some way, then he can be my teacher. I choose his strengths to learn from, and I will learn from his shortcomings and shortcomings and correct them.
17. A gentleman seeks everything from himself, while a villain seeks everything from others. ——"The Analects"
Verse Translation A gentleman always blames himself, looking for shortcomings and problems within himself. Villains often look at others and look for their shortcomings and deficiencies.
18. A gentleman is magnanimous, but a villain is always concerned. ——"The Analects of Confucius"
Poetry Translation A gentleman is open-minded, frank and clean in his thoughts, and his appearance and movements appear to be very comfortable and stable.
The villain has too many desires in his heart and a heavy psychological burden. He is often worried and worried. His appearance and movements also appear uneasy, and he often seems to be unable to sit or stand firmly.
19. Don’t blame God or blame others. ——"The Analects of Confucius"
When encountering setbacks and failures, the translation of the poem will never make excuses from an objective perspective, and will never push the responsibility to others. Later it developed into the idiom "blame everything but others".
20. Don’t express your anger and never make mistakes. ——"The Analects of Confucius"
If you make a mistake in the translation of a poem, don't take it out on others, and don't make it a second time.