1. 众少成多，积小致拒，故圣人莫不以掩致明，以微致显。?>

1. Accumulating little by little results in abundance, accumulating much by a small start leads to resistance, hence, the sages never fail to achieve brightness through obscurity and prominence through subtlety.

2. 常玉不琢，不成文章；君子不学，不成其德。

2. If jade is not carved, it cannot become fine writing; if a gentleman does not study, he cannot cultivate his virtues.

3. 事各顺于名，名各顺于天，天人之际，合而为一。

3. Matters are each in harmony with their names, and names are each in harmony with the heavens. The relationship between heaven and humanity is one and the same.

4. 道之大原出于天，天不变，道亦不变。

4. The origin of the great Tao comes from the heaven, and as long as heaven does not change, the Tao will also remain unchanging.

5. 至廉而威。

5. Extremely humble yet commanding.

6. 身之有性情也，若天之有阴阳也。

6. The body has its own temperament, just as the sky has its yin and yang.

7. 性者，天质之朴也；善者，王教之化也。

7. Sex is the primitive nature of the heavens; goodness is the influence of the king's education.

8. 窃譬之琴瑟不调，甚者必解而更张之，乃可鼓也。

8. To use a metaphor, if the zither or lute is out of tune, the worst-case scenario is that one must unstring it and retune it before it can be played.

9. 言出于己，不可塞也；行发于身，不可掩也。

9. Words that come from one's own mouth cannot be blocked; actions that come from one's own body cannot be concealed.

10. 承天意以从事，任德教而不任刑。

10. Abide by the divine will in your actions, and prioritize virtue and education over punishment.

11. 大富则骄，大贫则忧。

11. Great wealth leads to arrogance, and great poverty leads to worry.

12. 教化立而奸那皆止者，其堤防完也；教化废而好邪并出，刑罚不能胜者，其堤防坏也。古之王者明于此，是故南面而治天下，莫不以教化为大务。

12. If the corruption stops with the establishment of civilization, it means the barriers are intact; if corruption and evil emerge when civilization is abandoned, and punishment is insufficient to suppress them, it indicates that the barriers have been broken. Ancient rulers were clear about this, and therefore, those who ruled from the south to govern the world all regarded the promotion of civilization as their primary task.

13. 天人合一，君权神授。

13. Harmony between heaven and man, the divine origin of the imperial power.

14. 躬自厚而薄责于人。

14. Be self-restrained and lenient towards others.

15. 命者天之令也，性者生之质也，情者人之欲也。

15. The "命" is the command of heaven, the "性" is the essence of life, and the "情" is the desires of human beings.

16. 君为臣纲，父为子纲，夫为妻纲。

16. A ruler serves as a model for his ministers, a father for his son, and a husband for his wife.

17. 薄赋敛，省徭役，以宽民力。

17. Lighten the tax burden and reduce corvée labor to alleviate the people's efforts.

18. 人之受命于天也，取仁于天而仁也。

18. A person receives their mission from heaven, and by taking benevolence from heaven, they embody benevolence.

19. 事在勉强而矣，勉强求学则见闻广而智力明，勉强修养，则德日起而大有功。

19. Matters are only as difficult as one makes them. If one persists in studying, one's knowledge and understanding will broaden and one's intelligence will become clear. If one persists in cultivating oneself, one's moral character will improve daily and bring great benefits.

20. 名生于真，非其真弗以为名。

20. A name is born from the true; it is not named by what is not true.

21. 治乱兴废在于己。

21. The rise and fall of order and chaos depend on oneself.

22. 天之道，有序而时，有度而节。循天之道以养其身，谓之道也。

22. The way of heaven is orderly and timely, with moderation and regulation. To cultivate one's body by following the way of heaven is known as the Tao.

23. 父不父则子不子，君不君则臣不臣。

23. If a father is not a father, then a son is not a son; if a ruler is not a ruler, then a subject is not a subject.

24. 匿病者不得良医。

24. Those who hide their diseases cannot find good doctors.

25. 得志有喜，不可不戒。

25. Joyful in success, one cannot help but be cautious.

26. 琴瑟不调，甚者必解而更张之。

26. If the qin (zither) and se (lute) are out of tune, the more severe case will require them to be unstrung and re-tuned.

27. 善无小而不举，恶无小而不去。

27. Virtue is not too small to be practiced, and evil is not too small to be eradicated.

28. 欲审曲直，莫如引绳，欲审是非，莫如引名。

28. To discern right from wrong, it is best to draw a line; to discern what is right or wrong, it is best to refer to names.

29. 仁之法，在爱人，不在爱我；义之法，在正我，不在正人。

29. The law of benevolence is about loving others, not about loving me; the law of righteousness is about correcting myself, not about correcting others.

30. 屈民而伸君，屈君而伸天。

30. Bend the people to elevate the ruler, and bend the ruler to elevate heaven.

31. 善为师者，既美其道，有慎其行。

31. A good teacher not only beautifies his teachings but also exercises caution in his actions.

32. 气之清者为精，人之清者为贤，治身者以积精为宝，治国者以积贤为道。

32. The pure part of Qi is essence, the pure part of humans is virtue, those who govern their bodies regard the accumulation of essence as treasure, and those who govern states regard the accumulation of virtue as the way.

33. 师帅不贤，则主德不宣，恩泽不流。

33. If the leader is not virtuous, the king's virtue will not be manifested, and the benevolence and grace will not be spread.

34. 百乱之源，皆出嫌疑。

34. The source of all chaos arises from suspicion.

35. 能使万民往之，而得天下之群者，无敌于天下。

35. The one who can attract all nations and gain the support of the people from all over the world is invincible in the world.

36. 圣人为天下兴利也。

36. The sage seeks to benefit the world.

37. 性比于禾，善比于米；米出禾中，而禾未可全为米也；善出性中，而性末石全为善也。

37. In comparison to grain, nature is akin to rice; rice is derived from grain, yet not all grain can be turned into rice. Similarly, virtue arises from nature, yet not all nature can be fully transformed into virtue.

38. 质朴之谓性，性非教化不成。

38. The simplicity is called nature, and nature cannot be cultivated without education.

39. 治身者以积精为宝，治国者以积贤为道。

39. The one who governs oneself treasures the accumulation of energy, and the one who governs the state uses the accumulation of talent as the way.

40. 仁者所爱人类也，智者所以除其害也。

40. The benevolent love humanity; the wise seek to eliminate their harm.