劝学（节选） The opening of Exhortation to Learning

君子曰：学不可以已。 jūn zǐ yuē: xué bù kě yǐ yǐ.
The gentleman says: learning must never stop.

青，取之于蓝，而青于蓝；冰，水为之，而寒于水。 qīng, qǔ zhī yú lán, ér qīng yú lán; bīng, shuǐ wéi zhī, ér hán yú shuǐ.
Blue dye comes from the indigo plant, yet is bluer than the plant; ice is made from water, yet is colder than water.

木直中绳，𫐓以为轮，其曲中规。 mù zhí zhòng shéng, róu yǐ wéi lún, qí qū zhòng guī.
Wood straight enough to match a marking cord can be bent into a wheel, whose curve matches a compass.

虽有槁暴，不复挺者，𫐓使之然也。 suī yòu gǎo pù, bù fù tǐng zhě, róu shǐ zhī rán yě.
Even after drying out in the sun, it does not become straight again, because bending has made it so.

故木受绳则直，金就砺则利，君子博学而日参省乎己，则知明而行无过矣。 gù mù shòu shéng zé zhí, jīn jiù lì zé lì, jūn zǐ bó xué ér rì cān xǐng hū jǐ, zé zhì míng ér xíng wú guò yǐ.
So wood becomes straight when worked to the marking cord, and metal becomes sharp when put to a whetstone. A gentleman who studies widely and examines himself each day gains clear understanding and acts without error.

吾尝终日而思矣，不如须臾之所学也；吾尝跂而望矣，不如登高之博见也。 wú cháng zhōng rì ér sī yǐ, bù rú xū yú zhī suǒ xué yě; wú cháng qì ér wàng yǐ, bù rú dēng gāo zhī bó jiàn yě.
I once spent a whole day thinking, yet gained less than from a brief spell of study; I once stood on tiptoe to look, yet saw less than from climbing a height.

登高而招，臂非加长也，而见者远；顺风而呼，声非加疾也，而闻者彰。 dēng gāo ér zhāo, bì fēi jiā cháng yě, ér jiàn zhě yuǎn; shùn fēng ér hū, shēng fēi jiā jí yě, ér wén zhě zhāng.
Wave from a height: your arm has not grown longer, yet people far away can see you. Call with the wind: your voice has not grown stronger, yet listeners hear it clearly.

假舆马者，非利足也，而致千里；假舟楫者，非能水也，而绝江河。 jiǎ yú mǎ zhě, fēi lì zú yě, ér zhì qiān lǐ; jiǎ zhōu jí zhě, fēi néng shuǐ yě, ér jué jiāng hé.
Travellers who use carriages and horses have no swifter feet, yet cover a thousand li; those who use boats and oars cannot necessarily swim, yet cross rivers.

君子生非异也，善假于物也。 jūn zǐ xìng fēi yì yě, shàn jiǎ yú wù yě.
The gentleman has no different inborn nature; he is good at making use of things.

积土成山，风雨兴焉；积水成渊，蛟龙生焉；积善成德，而神明自得，圣心备焉。 jī tǔ chéng shān, fēng yǔ xīng yān; jī shuǐ chéng yuān, jiāo lóng shēng yān; jī shàn chéng dé, ér shén míng zì dé, shèng xīn bèi yān.
Heap up earth into a mountain, and wind and rain arise there; gather water into a deep pool, and dragons live there. Accumulate good actions into virtue, and spiritual understanding comes of itself, with a sage's heart fully formed.

故不积跬步，无以至千里；不积小流，无以成江海。 gù bù jī kuǐ bù, wú yǐ zhì qiān lǐ; bù jī xiǎo liú, wú yǐ chéng jiāng hǎi.
So without accumulating half steps, there is no way to reach a thousand li; without gathering small streams, there is no way to form rivers and seas.

骐骥一跃，不能十步；驽马十驾，功在不舍。 qí jì yī yuè, bù néng shí bù; nú mǎ shí jià, gōng zài bù shě.
A fine horse cannot cover ten paces in a single leap; a poor horse can make a journey over ten days of driving. Its achievement comes from not stopping.

锲而舍之，朽木不折；锲而不舍，金石可镂。 qiè ér shě zhī, xiǔ mù bù zhé; qiè ér bù shě, jīn shí kě lòu.
Carve and then give up, and even rotten wood will not break; keep carving without giving up, and metal and stone can be engraved.

蚓无爪牙之利，筋骨之强，上食埃土，下饮黄泉，用心一也。 yǐn wú zhǎo yá zhī lì, jīn gǔ zhī qiáng, shàng shí āi tǔ, xià yǐn huáng quán, yòng xīn yī yě.
The earthworm has neither sharp claws and teeth nor strong muscles and bones, yet eats dust above and drinks underground water below, because it keeps its attention on a single task.

蟹六跪而二螯，非蛇鳝之穴无可寄托者，用心躁也。 xiè liù guì ér èr áo, fēi shé shàn zhī xué wú kě jì tuō zhě, yòng xīn zào yě.
The crab has six legs and two pincers, yet has nowhere to lodge except in a snake's or eel's hole, because its attention is restless.