We wish each other a long life so as to share the beauty of this graceful moonlight, even though miles apart.
A lonely stranger in a strange land I am cast, I miss my family all the more on every festivenegotiation day.
The endless river eastward flows; with its huge waves are gone all those gallant heroes of bygone years.
If two people are of the same mind, their sharpness can cut through metal.
It is a true great man whom no money and rank can confuse, no poverty and hardship can shake, and no power and force can suffocate.
A bosom friend afar brings distance near.
A huge tree that fills one’s arms grows from a tiny seedling; a nine-storied tower rises from a heap of earth; a thousand li journey starts with the first step.
Misfortune, that is where happiness depends; happiness, that is where misfortune underlies.
On seeing a man of virtue, try to become his equal; on seeing a man without virtue, examine yourself not to have the same defects.
This land so rich in beauty has made countless heroes bow in homage.
Raising my head, I see the moon so bright; withdrawing my eyes, my nostalgia comes around.
All are past and gone; we look to this age for truly great men.
The gentleman helps others to achieve their moral perfection but not their evil conduct.
A righteous man never feels ashamed to face his shadow when standing alone and to face his soul when sleeping alone.
The friendship between men of virtue is light like water, yet affectionate; the friendship between men without virtue is sweet like wine, yet easily broken.
Expend the respect of the aged in one’s family to that of other families; expend the love of the young ones in one’s family to that of other families.
Propriety suggests reciprocity. It is not propriety not to give out but to receive, or vice versa.
If love between both sides can last for aye, why need they stay together night and day?
The way ahead is long; I see no ending, yet high and low I’ll search with my will unbending.
The people are the most important element in a state; next are the gods of land and grain; least is the ruler himself.
A long dike will collapse because of an ant-hole in it; a tall building will be burned down by a spark from a chimney’s chink.
Carve but give up half way, even a decayed piece of wood will not break; carve without stop, even metal and stone can be engraved.
People have sorrow and joy; they part and meet again. The moon dims or shines; it waxes or wanes. Nothing is perfect, not even in the olden days.
Learning and culture are to a person what polished and grinding are to jade.
Among any three people walking, I will find something to learn for sure. Their good qualities are to be followed, and their shortcomings are to be avoided.
An educated gentleman cannot but be resolute and broad-minded, for he has taken up a heavy responsibility and a long course. Is it not a heavy responsibility, which is to practice benevolence? Is it not a long course, which will end only with his death?
A moral intellectual is one who escapes no danger in face of truth, discards personal interests in front of disaster, practices righteousness at the expense of life, and looks upon death as going home.
The passage of time is just like the flow of water, which goes on day and night.
Those who follow the Heaven’s law will survive; those who go against it will perish.
When Heaven is about to place a great responsibility on a great man, it always first frustrates his spirit and will, exhausts his muscles and bones, exposes him to starvation and poverty, harasses him by troubles and setbacks so as to stimulate his spirit, toughen his nature and enhance his abilities.
Heaven has endowed me with talents for eventual use.
Opportunities vouchsafed by Heaven are less important than terrestrial advantages, which in turn are less important than the unity among people.
As Heaven’s movement is ever vigorous, so must a gentleman ceaselessly strive along.
He who by reviewing the old can gain knowledge of the new and is fit to be a teacher.
Things investigated, genuine knowledge acquired; genuine knowledge acquired ,thoughts purified; thoughts purified, hearts rectified; hearts rectified, personalities cultivated; personalities cultivated, families regulated; families regulated, the states well governed; the states well governed, the whole world will be in peace and tranquil.
It is unbearable to meet as well as to depart.
There is never an end to learning. The dye extracted from the indigo is bluer than the plant; so is the ice colder than the water. By broadly learning and constantly examining himself every day, the gentleman sharpens his awareness and makes fewer mistakes.
Learning without thinking leads to confusion; thinking without learning ends in danger.
Never be contented with your study; never be impatient with your teaching.
Learning is like rowing upstream: not to advance is to drop back.
It is such a delight to have friends coming from afar.
As a jade without chiseling will not become a useful object, a man without learning will not know the Way.
We widen our views three hundred miles by ascending one flight of stairs. /
Exhausting my eyes to a thousand li further, I am ascending one more story of the tower.
In heaven let us be two birds flying ever together, and on earth two trees with branches interlocked forever.
One can never be aware of the height of the sky or the depth of the earth, if he does not climb up a high mountain or look down into a deep abyss.
A public spirit will rule all under the sky when the great Way prevails.
The endless river eastward flows; with its huge waves are gone all those gallant heroes of bygone years.
Absorbed in painting, you know not old age is coming; indeed, to me wealth and rank are like clouds scudding.
To be part is to be whole; to be bent is to be straight; to be hollow is to be filled; to be worn out is to be renewed; to have little is to have more; to have much is to be confused.