The Great Learning (Da Xue)ConfucianismAccepted ScriptureClassical ChineseShareThe Great Learning 14James Legge (1861) - EnglishMoreVersion - 1 availableJames Legge (1861)LanguageEnglishEspañol‹The Great Learning 1The Great Learning 2The Great Learning 3The Great Learning 4The Great Learning 5The Great Learning 6The Great Learning 7The Great Learning 8The Great Learning 9The Great Learning 10The Great Learning 11The Great Learning 12The Great Learning 13The Great Learning 14The Great Learning 15The Great Learning 16The Great Learning 17›Section 14 (1)The Great Learning 14ListenPlay this chapter in spoken English.Save chapterListen to chapterIn the Book of Poetry, it is said, "Before the sovereigns of the Yin dynasty had lost the hearts of the people, they could appear before God. Take warning from the house of Yin. The great decree is not easily preserved." This shows that, by gaining the people, the kingdom is gained, and, by losing the people, the kingdom is lost. On this account, the ruler will first take pains about his own virtue. Possessing virtue will give him the people. Possessing the people will give the territory. Possessing the territory will give him its wealth. Possessing wealth, he will have resources for expenditure. Virtue is the root; wealth is the result. If he makes the root his secondary object, and the result his primary, he will only wrangle with his people, and teach them rapine. Hence, the accumulation of wealth is the way to scatter the people; and the letting it be scattered among them is the way to collect the people. And hence, the ruler's words going forth contrary to right, will come back to him in the same way, and wealth, gotten by improper ways, will take its departure by the same. In the Announcement to Kang, it is said, "The decree indeed may not always rest on us"; that is, goodness obtains the decree, and the want of goodness loses it. In the Book of Chu, it is said, "The kingdom of Chu does not consider that to be valuable. It values, instead, its good men." Duke Wen's uncle, Fan, said, "Our fugitive does not account that to be precious. What he considers precious is the affection due to his parent." ‹Previous chapterThe Great Learning 13Next chapterThe Great Learning 15›Similar passagesBy tradition and source labelFind similarCompare selectedCompare with similarAsk Deep ThoughtSelect passages to search for parallels.Tap any verse to select it, then compare selected passages or ask Deep Thought. Public domain