1. 古之天下，亦今之天下；今之天下，亦古之天下；天不变道亦不变。

1. The world of ancient times is also the world of today; the world of today is also the world of ancient times; the heaven does not change, and the principles also do not change.

2. 正其义不计其利，明其道不计其功。

2. Correct the righteousness without considering the benefits, clarify the path without considering the achievements.

3. 夫天亦有所分予，予之齿者去其角，傅其翼者两其足，是所受大者不得取小也。

3. The heavens also have their share of distribution; those to whom they give teeth are deprived of horns, and those to whom they grant wings have their feet doubled. This is because those who receive much cannot take little.

4. 君子不隐其短，不知则问，不能则学。

4. A gentleman does not conceal his shortcomings; if he does not know, he asks; if he cannot, he learns.

5. 得志有喜，不可不戒。

5. When one's aspirations are fulfilled, one must not be overjoyed without caution.

6. 性者，天质之朴也；善者，王教之化也。

6. Sex is the primitive nature of the heavens; goodness is the transformation of the king's education.

7. 治身者以积精为宝，治国者以积贤为道。

7. One who governs himself regards accumulating vital essence as treasure, while one who governs a state regards accumulating virtuous individuals as the way.

8. 欲审曲直，莫如引绳，欲审是非，莫如引名。

8. To discern right from wrong, it is best to use a thread; to discern truth from falsity, it is best to use names.

9. 道之大原出于天，天不变道亦不变。

9. The origin of the Way is from the heavens, and if the heavens do not change, then the Way does not change either.

10. 自古以来未尝有以乱济乱，大败天下之民如秦者也，其遗毒余烈至今未灭，使习俗薄恶人民嚣顽，抵冒殊扞，孰烂如此之甚者也，孔子曰：腐朽之木不可雕也，粪土之墙不可圬也。

10. There has never been anyone like the Qin Dynasty, who brought chaos upon chaos and utterly defeated the people of the world, whose lingering poison and fierce impact have not been extinguished to this day. It has led to a society where customs are shallow and evil, the people are rebellious and stubborn, and resistance is extreme. Who can be as corrupt as this? Confucius said: Rotten wood cannot be carved, and dung walls cannot be whitewashed.

11. 至于中春之月，阳在正东，阴在正西，谓之春分。春分者，阴阳相半也，故昼夜均而寒暑平。

11. As for the middle spring month, the Yang is in the exact east, and the Yin is in the exact west, which is called the Spring Equinox. The Spring Equinox signifies that the Yang and Yin are evenly divided, hence the day and night are equal, and the cold and heat are balanced.

12. 匿病者不得良医。

12. The sick who hide their illness cannot find a good doctor.

13. 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。

13. Gender is compared to crops, goodness is compared to rice; rice is derived from crops, yet not all crops can be fully transformed into rice. Similarly, goodness originates from one's nature, but not all of one's nature can be fully realized as goodness.

14. 是故善为师者，既美其道，有慎其行。

14. Therefore, a good teacher not only beautifies his teaching method but also exercises caution in his actions.

15. 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。

15. If the establishment of education stops all evil, it means that the dykes are intact; if the abandonment of education leads to the simultaneous emergence of good and evil, and punishment cannot overcome them, it means that the dykes are broken. Ancient rulers were clear about this, which is why they all regarded the cultivation of education as a major task when they ruled the world from the south.

16. 仁之法，在爱人，不在爱我；义之法，在正我，不在正人。

16. The principle of benevolence lies in loving others, not in loving myself; the principle of righteousness lies in correcting myself, not in correcting others.

17. 命者天之令也，性者生之质也，情者人之欲也，或夭或寿或仁或鄙，陶冶而成之，不能粹美，有治乱之所在故不齐也，故尧舜行德则民仁寿，桀纣行暴则民鄙夭。夫上之化下，下之从上犹泥之在钧，唯甄者之所为，犹金之在镕，唯冶者之所铸。?>

17. The "ming" (destiny) is the command of heaven, the "xing" (nature) is the quality of life, the "qing" (passion) is the desire of humans. Some are destined for early death, some for longevity, some for benevolence, and some for ignorance. They are shaped by cultivation, and cannot be completely beautiful. There is a place for order and chaos, so they are not uniform. Therefore, when Yao and Shun practice virtue, the people are benevolent and long-lived; when Ji and Zhou practice cruelty, the people are ignorant and die early. The influence of the superior on the inferior, and the obedience of the inferior to the superior, is like clay in the hands of a potter. It is up to the potter to shape it, just as metal in the melt is only cast by the metallurgist.

18. 夫德不足以亲近，而文不足以来远，而断之以战伐为之者，此固春秋之所甚疾已，皆非义也。

18. If one's virtue is not sufficient to bring people close, and one's culture is not enough to attract those afar, yet to resort to warfare and conquest as a means of achieving this – this is indeed what the Spring and Autumn Annals strongly condemn, as it is not in accordance with righteousness.

19. 以心之名，得人之诚。

19. In the name of the heart, gain people's sincerity.