经典中国古文英语翻译

但愿人长久，千里共婵娟。-

We wish each other a long life so as to share the beauty of this graceful moonlight, even though miles apart.-

独在异乡为异客，每逢佳节倍思亲。-

A lonely stranger in a strange land I am cast, I miss my family all the more on every festive day.-

大江东去，浪淘尽，千古风流人物。-

The endless river eastward flows; with its huge waves are gone all those gallant heroes of bygone years.-

二人同心，其利断金。-

If two people are of the same mind, their sharpness can cut through metal.-

富贵不能淫，贫贱不能移，威武不能曲，此之谓大丈夫。-

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.-

海内存知己，天涯若比邻。-

A bosom friend afar brings distance near.-

合抱之木，生于毫末，九层之台，起于累土；千里之行始于足下。-

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.-

祸兮，福之所依；福兮，祸之所伏。-

Misfortune, that is where happiness depends; happiness, that is where misfortune underlies.-

见贤思齐焉，见不贤而内自省也。-

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.-

江山如此多娇，引无数英雄尽折腰。-

This land so rich in beauty has made countless heroes bow in homage.-

举头望明月，低头思故乡。-

Raising my head, I see the moon so bright; withdrawing my eyes, my nostalgia comes around.-

俱往矣，数风流人物，还看今朝。-

All are past and gone; we look to this age for truly great men.-

君子成人之美，不成人之恶。-

The gentleman helps others to achieve their moral perfection but not their evil conduct.-

君子独立不惭于影，独寝不愧于魂。-

A righteous man never feels ashamed to face his shadow when standing alone and to face his soul when sleeping alone.-

君子之交淡如水，小人之交甘如醴。君子淡以亲，小人甘以绝。-

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.-

老吾老以及人之老，幼吾幼以及人之幼。-

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.-

礼尚往来。往而不来，非礼也；来而不往，亦非礼也。-

Propriety suggests reciprocity. It is not propriety not to give out but to receive, or vice versa.-

两情若是长久时，又岂在朝朝暮暮。-

If love between both sides can last for aye, why need they stay together night and day?-

路漫漫其修远兮，吾将上下而求索。-

The way ahead is long; I see no ending, yet high and l

ow I’ll search with my will unbending.-

民为贵，社稷次之，君为轻。-

The people are the most important element in a state; next are the gods of land and grain; least is the ruler himself.-

千丈之堤，以蝼蚁之穴溃；百尺之屋，以突隙之烟焚。-

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.-

锲而舍之，朽木不折，锲而不舍，金石可镂。-

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.-

人有悲欢离合，月有阴晴阳缺，此事古难全。-

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.-

人之于文学也，犹玉之于琢磨也。-

Learning and culture are to a person what polished and grinding are to jade.-

三人行，必有我师焉。择其善者而从之，其不善者而改之。-

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.-

士不可以不弘毅，任重而道远。仁以为己任，不亦重乎？死而后己，不亦远乎？-

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?-

士之为人，当理不避其难，临患忘利，遗生行义，视死如归。-

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.-

逝者如斯夫！不舍昼夜。-

The passage of time is just like the flow of water, which goes on day and night.-

顺天者存，逆天者亡。-

Those who follow the Heaven’s law will survive; those who go against it will perish.-

天将降大任于斯人也，必先苦其心志，劳其筋骨，饿其体肤，空乏其身，行拂乱其所为，所以动心忍性，增益其所不能。-

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.-

天生我才必有用。-

Heaven has endowed me with talents for eventual use.-

天时不如地利，地利不如人和。-

Opportunities vouchsafed by Heaven are less important than terrestrial advantages, which in turn are less important than the unity among people.-

天行健，君子以自强不息。-

As Heaven’s movement is ever vigorous, so must a gentleman ceaselessly strive along.-

温故而知新，可以为师矣。-

He who by revi

ewing the old can gain knowledge of the new and is fit to be a teacher.-

物格而后知至，知至而后意诚，意诚而后心正，心正而后身修，身修而后家齐，家齐而后治国，国治而后天下平。-

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.-

相见时难别亦难。-

It is unbearable to meet as well as to depart.-

学不可以已。青取之于蓝，而青于蓝；冰，水为之，而寒于冰。君子博学而日参省乎己，则知明而行无过矣。-

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.-

学而不思则罔，思而不学则殆。-

Learning without thinking leads to confusion; thinking without learning ends in danger.-

学而不厌，诲人不倦。-

Never be contented with your study; never be impatient with your teaching.-

学如逆水行舟，不进则退。-

Learning is like rowing upstream: not to advance is to drop back.-

有朋自远方来，不亦乐乎。-

It is such a delight to have friends coming from afar.-

玉不琢，不成器。人不学，不知义。-

As a jade without chiseling will not become a useful object, a man without learning will not know the Way.-

欲穷千里目，更上一层楼。-

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.-

在天愿做比翼鸟，在地愿为连理枝。-

In heaven let us be two birds flying ever together, and on earth two trees with branches interlocked forever.-

不登高山，不知天之厚也；不临深渊，不知地之厚也。-

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.-

大道之行也，天下为公。-

A public spirit will rule all under the sky when the great Way prevails.-

大江东去，浪淘尽，千古风流人物。-

The endless river eastward flows; with its huge waves are gone all those gallant heroes of bygone years.-

丹青不知老将近，富贵于我如浮云。-

Absorbed in painting, you know not old age is coming; indeed, to me wealth and rank are like clouds scudding.-

曲则全，枉则直，洼则盈，敝则新，少则得，多则惑。-

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

"travel ten thousand miles and read ten thousand boo

ks'', which shows they found pleasure in enriching themselves mentally and physically through traveling over famous mountains and rivers.”

会当凌绝顶，一览众山小

Reach the top and hold all mountains in a single glance.

不积跬步，无以至千里。不积小流，无以成江海。

One can not travel a thousand miles without taking a succession of solid steps ,like an ocean can not take shape without admitting numberous samll streams.

行百里者半九十

It's still halfway even though one was made 90 miles out of a 100 miles journey .

害人之心不可有，防人之心不可无。

honest should be based on security. love your neighbour,yet pull not down your fence.

人不自私，顶天立地

A selfless man is upright and high minded.

旁观者清，当局者迷。

standers-by see more than gamesters.

The first snow

The first snow came. How beautiful it was, falling so silently all day long, all night long, on the mountains, on the meadows, on the roofs of the living, on the graves of the dead! All white save the river, that marked its course by a winding black line across the landscape; and the leafless trees, that against the leaden sky now revealed more fully the wonderful beauty and intricacies of their branches. What silence, too, came with the snow, and what seclusion! Every sound was muffled, every noise changed to something soft and musical. No more tramping hoofs, no more rattling wheels! Only the chiming of sleigh-bells, beating as swift and merrily as the hearts of children.

初雪，曼美已极！

昼，漫飘。夜，默飘。竟覆崇岭，尽倾洼地。尘府梁椽，鬼府碑柱均笼其中。入眼，白寒渐溶于流水，徒留黑黛岸纵横皑皑间。秋凉树木，冠顶目苍穹，毕现凄楚美质，纷繁劲支。

净静桃源，雪之花铸。

些微小调无缘闻听，丝缕杂音皆化于柔美章乐。徒徙海角之履声不在，辗转天涯之轮音不存！只余希声之大音，童心般，善、欢为波。

性相近也，习相远也。By nature, men are nearly alike; by practice, they get to be wide apart.

过而不改，是谓过矣。Not to mend the fault one has made is to err indeed.

言必信，行必果。Keep what you say and carry out what you do.

君子以文会友，以友辅仁。The superior man on grounds of culture meets with his friends, and by their friendship helps his virtue.

三军可夺师也，匹夫不可夺志也。The commander of the forces of a large State may be carried off, but the will of even a common man cannot be taken from him.

后生可畏，焉知来者之不如今也？A youth is to be regarded with respect. How do you know that his future will not be equal to our present?

有朋自远方来，不亦乐乎？ Is it not delightful to have friends coming from distant quarters?

人不知而不愠，不亦君子乎？Is he not a man of complete virtue, who fee

ls no discomposure though men may take no note of him?

父在，观其志。父没，观其行。三年无改于父之道，可谓孝矣。While a man's father is alive, look at the bent of his will; when his father is dead, look at his conduct. If for three years he does not alter from the way of his father, he may be called filial.

不患人之不己知，患不知人也。I will not be afflicted at men's not knowing me; I will be afflicted that I do not know men.

诗三百，一言以蔽之，曰：思无邪。In the Book of Poetry are three hundred pieces, but the design of them all may be embraced in one sentence-- "Having no depraved thoughts."

关睢乐而不淫，哀而不伤。The Kwan Tsu is expressive of enjoyment without being licentious, and of grief without being hurtfully excessive.

父母在，不远游，游必有方。While his parents are alive, the son may not go abroad to a distance. If he does go abroad, he must have a fixed place to which he goes.

德不孤，必有邻。Virtue is not left to stand alone. He who practises it will have neighbors.

吾十有五而志于学，三十而立，四十而不惑，五十而知天命，六十而耳顺，七十而从心所欲，不逾矩。 At fifteen I set my heart upon learning. At thirty, I planted my feet firm upon the ground. At forty, I no longer suffered from perplexities. At fifty, I knew what were the biddings of Heaven. At sixty, I heard them with docile ear. At seventy, I could follow the dictates of my own heart; for what I desired no longer overstepped the boundaries of right.

贤哉回也!一箪食，一瓢饮，在陋巷，人不堪其忧，回也不改其乐。贤哉回也! Incomparable indeed was Hui! A handful of rice to eat, a gourdful of water to drink, living in a mean street. Others would have found it unendurably depressing, but to Hui's cheerfulness it made no difference at all. Incomparable indeed was Hui.

知者乐水，仁者乐山。知者动，仁者静。知者乐，仁者寿。The wise find pleasure in water; the virtuous find pleasure in hills. The wise are active; the virtuous are tranquil. The wise are joyful; the virtuous are long-lived.

逝者如斯夫，不舍昼夜。It passes on just like this, not ceasing day or night!

食不厌精，脍不厌细。He did not dislike to have his rice finely cleaned, nor to have his minced meat cut quite small.

非礼勿视，非礼勿听，非礼勿言，非礼勿动。Look not at what is contrary to propriety; listen not to what is contrary to propriety; speak not what is contrary to propriety; make no movement which is contrary to propriety.

人无远虑，必有近忧。If a man take no thought about what is distant, he will find sorrow near at hand.

君子有三戒。少之时，血气未定，戒之在色。及其壮也，血气方刚，戒之在斗。及其老也，血气既衰，戒之在得。There are three things which the superior man guards agai

nst. In youth, when the physical powers, are not yet settled, he guards against lust. When he is strong and the physical powers are full of vigor, he guards against quarrelsomeness. When he is old, and the animal powers are decayed, he guards against covetousness.

唯女子与小人，为难养也。近之则不孙，远之则怨。Of all people, girls and servants are the most difficult to behave to. If you are familiar with them, they lose their humility. If you maintain a reserve towards them, they are discontented。