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Chapter 11장

Daxue (The Great Learning) 大學 · Ascribed to Zengzi · A text carried in the Book of Rites · 1 passages · 222 Chinese characters · reading time 0.9 min

Daxue (The Great Learning) A piece of fewer than two thousand characters, and one of the most committed to memory in all East Asia. It opens with "making bright virtue bright, being close to the people, and coming to rest in the utmost good," and threads eight steps on a single line, from measuring things and extending knowing to the full all the way to bringing all under heaven to a level — the investigation of things, the extension of knowing, making the intent true, making the mind upright, cultivating the person, setting the household in order, governing the state, and bringing peace to all under heaven. About the middle, "being careful when alone" comes twice, and the last chapter is given over wholly to wealth and to men. The saying that when wealth is gathered the people scatter and when wealth is scattered the people gather, and Meng Xianzi's word that one would sooner have a minister who steals than a minister who gathers in, are both here.

大學之道，在明明德，在親民，在止於至善。知止而後有定，定而後能靜，靜而後能安，安而後能慮，慮而後能得。物有本末，事有終始，知所先後，則近道矣。古之欲明明德於天下者，先治其國；欲治其國者，先齊其家；欲齊其家者，先脩其身；欲脩其身者，先正其心；欲正其心者，先誠其意；欲誠其意者，先致其知，致知在格物。物格而後知致，知致而後意誠，意誠而後心正，心正而後身脩，身脩而後家齊，家齊而後國治，國治而後天下平。自天子以至於庶人，壹是皆以脩身爲本。其本亂而末治者否矣，其所厚者薄，而其所薄者厚，未之有也！此謂知本，此謂知之至也。

The way of great learning lies in making bright virtue bright, in being close to the people, and in coming to rest in the utmost good.

Only after one knows where to rest is there settledness. Only after settledness can one be still. Only after stillness can one be at peace. Only after peace can one weigh things. Only after weighing can one attain.

Things have a root and a tip. Affairs have an end and a beginning. To know what comes first and what comes after is to be near the way.

In old times those who wished to make bright virtue bright throughout all under heaven first governed their states. Those who wished to govern their states first set their households in order. Those who wished to set their households in order first cultivated their persons. Those who wished to cultivate their persons first made their minds upright. Those who wished to make their minds upright first made their intent true. Those who wished to make their intent true first extended their knowing to the full. Extending knowing to the full lies in fathoming things.

When things are fathomed, knowing is complete. When knowing is complete, the intent is true. When the intent is true, the mind is upright. When the mind is upright, the person is cultivated. When the person is cultivated, the household is in order. When the household is in order, the state is governed. When the state is governed, all under heaven is made even.

From the Son of Heaven down to the common people, all alike take cultivating the person as the root. There is no case where the root is in disorder and the tip is well governed. It has never happened that what should be made thick was made thin and what should be made thin was made thick. This is called knowing the root. This is called knowing at its utmost.

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