“i know the rage in you is strong / write a world where we can belong / to each other and sing it”

[larryhammer]

Three-Character Classic (三字经) is a just-post-Song Dynasty (late 13th century) pedagogical poem, used for centuries as an early reader with bonus Confucian indoctrination—one of the three standard textbooks of elementary education. I say “attributed” to Wang Yinglin because though his name is traditionally attached, some of its views are at odds with his other published works, and while scholars have suggested a few alternatives they’ve come to no consensus. It’s usually presented as a continuous text, but the three-character lines can readily be divided, based on syntax and rhymes, into stanzas for ease of digesting (to which I’ve added numbers for ease of reference).

Note that the Literary Chinese, steeped in 1500 years of Confucian tradition and shorthand, is often way compacted. More compact, sometimes, than English can manage—which means my translation sometimes strains my form of three-beat lines. Especially hard to render: 仁 “benevolence” and 义 “righteousness” —watch out for those characters. For the record, my base text is (as usual) that of Chinese Text Project cross-checked against Wikisource (which has valuable links to relevant Wikipedia articles by way of glossing). This seems to be close to the original version, without later additions that, for ex, update its speedrun through history to bring it to current times.

CW: This goes hard on Confucianism. Expect period-, culture-, and doctrine-typical attitudes towards women.

(That said, the author’s attitudes and omissions are both fascinating.)

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Three-Character Classic, attrib. Wang Yinglin

1.	People at their birth By nature start out good— In nature they are close, Through habits they diverge.	人之初 性本善 性相近 習相遠
2.	If people aren’t taught, Their natures will degrade. The way that’s to be taught Is “Value staying focused.”	苟不教 性乃迁 教之道 贵以专
	• Specifically, “focused” both on studying and on the syllabus that follows. See also st.65-80.
3.	The mother of old Mencius Chose better neighborhoods; When her son didn’t study, She cut her shuttle from loom.	昔孟母 择邻处 子不学 断机杼
	• Mencius’s mother moved her family a few times to ensure better influences. One day when Mencius returned from school, his mother looked up from her loom and asked how far he had gotten. He answered indifferently that he was doing well enough, so she cut the thread of her shuttle. Alarmed because they lived off her weaving, he asked why she did that, and she lectured him, explaining that cutting her thread was like neglecting his studies. The admonition supposedly worked.
4.	Duo Yujun of Yanshan, His method was correct: He tutored his five sons, Who all spread wide his fame.	窦燕山 有义方 教五子 名俱扬
	• Duo Yujun of Yanshan was a minister of the Five Dynasties period of noted frugality whose sons, who he educated at home, all passed imperial exams and became officials, three of them high ministers.
5.	To rear but not to teach, The father is at fault. To teach but not be strict, The teacher’s negligent.	养不教 父之过 教不严 师之惰
6.	A child who doesn’t study Is inappropriate. A youth who doesn’t study Grows up into what?	子不学 非所宜 幼不学 老何为
7.	A jade that isn’t shaped Cannot become a vessel— So men who do not study Can’t know what is righteous.	玉不琢 不成器 人不学 不知义
8.	While you, the son of a man, Remain a young boy still, Stay close to friends and teachers And learn propriety.	为人子 方少时 亲师友 习礼仪
9.	When Huang Xiang had nine years, He warmed his father’s bed. Filial duty to parents— This we all should grasp.	香九龄 能温席 孝于亲 所当执
10.	When Kong Rong was age four, He passed on bigger pears. Fraternal duty to elder— We must learn this first.	融四岁 能让梨 弟于长 宜先知
11.	First filial, fraternal— Next we watch and listen: Understand the numbers And recognize the words.	首孝弟 次见闻 知某数 识某文
12.	The ones and then the tens, The tens and then the hundreds, The hundreds and the thousands, The thousands and ten-thousands.	一而十 十而百 百而千 千而万
	• Chinese traditionally groups the digits of large numbers in fours, not threes, so ten-thousand is a natural culmination.
13.	These are the Three Realms: Heaven, earth, and man. These are the Three Lights: The sun, the moon, and stars.	三才者 天地人 三光者 日月星
14.	These are the Three Bonds: Lord and subject right-conduct, Child and father affection, Wife to husband obedience.	三纲者 君臣义 父子亲 夫妇顺
	• It’s infuriating when translations use mealy phrases like “harmony between husband and wife.”
15.	We speak of spring and summer, We speak of autumn and winter— These are the Four Seasons, A cycle never ceasing.	曰春夏 曰秋冬 此四时 运不穷
16.	We speak of south and north, We speak of west and east— These are the Four Directions Relative to the center.	曰南北 曰西东 此四方 应乎中
17.	We speak of water, fire, Metal, wood, and earth— These are the Five Phases Rooted in repetition.	曰水火 木金土 此五行 本乎数
	• The traditional term “five elements” is a bad translation for 五行. “Phases” is slightly better, in that it nods to root sense of 行, motion—each phase generates another in turn, in an endless cycle. But it’s not great.
18.	We speak of righteous, kind, Proper, wise, and true: These are the Five Eternals Preventing all disorder.	曰仁义 礼智信 此五常 不容紊
	• Better (i.e. less compacted) translations of the five eternal qualities would be the noun forms “benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and integrity.”
19.	Sorghum, rice, and beans, Wheat, millet, and white millet: These are the Six Grains Eaten by the people.	稻粱菽 麦黍稷 此六谷 人所食
20.	Horses, cattle, sheep, Chickens, dogs, and pigs: These are the Six Livestocks That are reared by the people.	马牛羊 鸡犬豕 此六畜 人所饲
21.	We speak of joy and anger, We speak of sorrow and fear, Of love and hate and desire: Seven Passions we feel.	曰喜怒 曰哀惧 爱恶欲 七情具
22.	Pottery, gourds, and leather, Wood and stone and metal, Silken strings, bamboo: From these, the Eight Timbres.	匏土革 木石金 与丝竹 乃八音
	• These are the traditional materials for making musical instruments.
23.	Great-great- and great- and grandfather, Then father, and then you, Yourself and then your son, Your son and then your grandson, And through your son and grandson To great- and then great-great-: These Nine Relationships Form men’s generations.	高曾祖 父而身 身而子 子而孙 自子孙 至玄曾 乃九族 人之伦
	• Literally, great-great-grandfather is “high(er),” great-grandfather is “great-” (as in English, there’s a prefix for that), great-grandson is “deep(er),” and great-great-grandson is “great-” again.
24.	’Tween father and child, affection; ’Tween husband and wife, submission; The elder brother, friendly; The younger brother, polite; The old preceding young; Friends who come together; A ruler who’s respectful; Officials who are loyal: These are the Ten Right-conducts Shared by every person.	父子恩 夫妇从 兄则友 弟则恭 长幼序 友与朋 君则敬 臣则忠 此十义 人所同
	• I count either eight or eleven correct ways of behaving here. The traditional list of ten from Classic of Rites (see st.35-36) is a father’s benevolence, a child’s filial piety, a husband’s affection, a wife’s obedience, an elder brother’s friendship, a younger brother’s respect, a colleague’s trustworthiness, a friend’s righteousness, a ruler’s respect (for his officials), and an official’s loyalty. (Do many translations soft-pedal line 2 as “harmony” between husband and wife? Yes—yes, they do. Grrrr.)
25.	Teachers of the untaught Must lecture thoroughly, Give detailed explanations, And study every clause.	凡训蒙 须讲究 详训诂 名句读
26.	When you are a student, Start at the beginning— With your first lessons finished, Proceed to the Four Books.	为学者 必有初 小学终 至四书
	• The first lessons being how to count and read (st.11). The Four Books were foundational Confucian texts, described in the next stanzas.
27.	Confucius’ Analects Is twenty chapters long: His various disciples Recorded his wise words.	论语者 二十篇 群弟子 记善言
	• Analects is a collection of Confucius’ teachings compiled after his death by his students.
28.	The dialogues of Mencius Are set in seven chapters: Morality’s expounded, What’s kind and right explained.	孟子者 七篇止 讲道德 说仁义
	• Mencius is a collection of the conversations with the Confucian philosopher Mencius.
29.	The Doctrine of the Mean Was scribed by Zisi’s brush: The mean should never swerve, The doctrine never changes.	作中庸 子思笔 中不偏 庸不易
	• Zisi was a grandson and student of Confucius. The Doctrine of the Mean is a chapter of Classic of Rites (see st.35-36).
30.	The book of The Great Learning Was written by Zhengzi: From cultivating order Proceeds a peaceful realm.	作大学 乃曾子 自修齐 至平治
	• Zhengzi was another student of Confucius, and The Great Learning is also a chapter of Classic of Rites. “Cultivating order” (修齐) is shorthand for “cultivating one’s moral character and ordering one’s household.”
31.	The Filial Classic learned And Four Books memorized, You may at last begin To study the Six Classics.	孝经通 四书熟 如六经 始可读
	• It’s weird how Classic of Filial Piety gets tossed in like an afterthought—if it’s so important, why not make it the Five Books? The Six Classics of Confucianism (usually counted as Five today—see st.35) are described in the next stanzas.
32.	Songs, Changes, Documents, Two Rites, and Spring and Autumn: These comprise Six Classics You must explain and ponder.	诗书易 礼春秋 号六经 当讲求
33.	There is the Lianshan system, There is the Guizang system, Zhou Changes system, too: These three complete the Changes.	有连山 有归藏 有周易 三易详
	• In addition to what’s now the standard Classic of Changes (I Ching) attributed to the Duke of Zhou (see st.35), there were two supposedly earlier versions called the Lianshan and Guizang systems. They’re generally similar, with the main differences being the order of the trigrams and hexagrams.
34.	There’s Laws and Consultations, There’s Orders and Announcements, There’s Oaths and Royal Commands: Profound, the Documents.	有典谟 有训诰 有誓命 书之奥
	• Classic of Documents, also called Classic of History, is a compilation of these various types of historical documents from the late Shang and Zhou Dynasties.
35.	Our own Duke of Zhou Wrote down the Rites of Zhou: Spelled out six ministries And set the form of rule.	我周公 作周礼 著六官 存治体
	• Rites of Zhou is today generally considered a section of Classic of Rites, not a separate Classic.
36.	The Elder and Younger Dai Explained the Classic of Rites: Recorded the holy words And all the rites and music.	大小戴 注礼记 述圣言 礼乐备
	• Dai De and his nephew Dai Sheng compiled Classic of Rites in its current form, including commentaries on the ceremonies described. The “music” is that accompanying a ritual.
37.	We speak of airs of the states, We speak of odes and hymns— These are the Songs’ four books You must recite and sing.	曰国风 曰雅颂 号四诗 当讽咏
	• Classic of Songs is divided into sections by genre—airs aka folk songs, odes, and two types of hymns.
38.	When writing songs declined Spring and Autumn was written, Containing praise and blame, Dividing good from bad.	诗既亡 春秋作 寓褒贬 别善恶
	• Most entries of Classic of Songs predate the Spring and Autumn Period (see st.50), which was named after Spring and Autumn Annals rather than the other way around: “springs and autumns” (春秋) idiomatically means the passage of years as well as a record of same. This is specifically the annals of the Kingdom of Lu (modern Shandong) from 722-481 BCE, during the decline of the Zhou Dynasty leading up to the full-on strife of the Warring States Period (c.475-221 BCE), and was traditionally attributed to Confucius, who was from Lu.
39.	These are the Three Commentaries: There is Gongyang’s comments, There’s the Zuo Clan’s comments, There is Guliang’s comments.	三传者 有公羊 有左氏 有彀梁
	• Spring and Autumn Annals is quite terse, and several commentaries were written in the next couple centuries; these three were the most important and are often (especially Zuo) included with the base text.
40.	Once the Classics are clear, Then you study the Masters— Pick out their major points, Record their key ideas.	经既明 方读子 撮其要 记其事
	• “Masters” in this context means philosophers, especially from the Hundred Schools of Thought that developed during the Warring States Period.
41.	These are the five main Masters: Xunzi and Yang Xiong, Wang Tong styled Wenzhongzi, Plus Laozi and Zhuangzi.	五子者 有荀杨 文中子 及老庄
	• Only the five most important (after Confucius and Mencius, who’ve already been covered) are picked out. The first three are Confucian, the last two Daoist. I use “styled” to indicate a courtesy name or, as here, a nickname.
42.	Classics and Masters learned, Study the histories: Probe genealogies And know their ends and starts.	经子通 读诸史 考世系 知终始
	• The genealogies are specifically of rulers, and the ends and beginnings are those of dynasties—the transfer of the Mandate of Heaven being an important and tricky concept. This kicks off a summary of history to date.
43.	It starts with Fuxi, Shennong, Then Yellow Emperor: We call these the Three Sovereigns Who lived in the first era.	自羲农 至黄帝 号三皇 居上世
	• The Three Sovereigns were China’s mythical founding rulers, all deities.
44.	Yao Tang had Shun Yu: These are Two Emperors Who abdicated in turn— Theirs was a golden age.	唐有虞 号二帝 相揖逊 称盛世
	• These were the last two of the Five Emperors, who were China’s legendary founding rulers. (The first three were succeeded by an heir from their bloodline instead of a handpicked man of talent, and so are less admirable.)
45.	Xia Dynasty had Yu— Shang Dynasty had Tang— Zhou Dynasty, King Wen— These are the Three Kings.	夏有禹 商有汤 周文王 称三王
	• Yu (Shun Yu’s successor), Tang, and Wen were the supposed founders of the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties, respectively. With the last, we reach recorded history, provisionally dated as starting c.1046 BCE (the records are fuzzy).
46.	Xia rule went father to son— A family ran the realm For four full centuries, Till altars left the Xia.	夏传子 家天下 四百载 迁夏社
	• Saying that the imperial sacrifices passed to others is saying that Xia rulers lost the imperium.
47.	Tang cut down the Xia. The realm was then called Shang For six full centuries— Till King Zhòu was deposed.	汤伐夏 国号商 六百载 至纣亡
	• Zhòu (纣, “crupper”) was the derogatory posthumous name for the last Shang ruler, given after his overthrow by Zhōu (周) Dynasty forces.
48.	Wu, the king of Zhōu, Had executed Zhòu— For eight full centuries, His dynasty was longest.	周武王 始诛纣 八百载 最长久
49.	When Zhōu made eastward tracks, The royal bonds declined: Men flaunted shields and spears And prized the peripatetics.	周辙东 王纲堕 逞干戈 尚游说
	• The Zhou Dynasty ruled for around 300 years from Fenghao, near modern Xi’an, in what’s called the Western Zhou period. After Fenghao was sacked in 771 BCE, the capital was moved eastward to Luoyang, starting the Eastern Zhou period. (“Tracks” is a literal translation—specifically wagon-tracks.) It was around this time that Zhou central authority slowly collapsed and its various feudal domains grew in autonomy. The “peripatetics” were itinerant political philosophers and lobbyists (such as Confucius) who went from state to state offering their services as consultant-statesmen to rulers.
50.	It started Spring and Autumn And ended Warring States: Five Hegemons were strong, The Seven States emerged.	始春秋 终战国 五霸强 七雄出
	• During the Spring and Autumn Period (771-c.475 BCE), rulers of the five most powerful domains (among initially hundreds) were acknowledged by the increasingly powerless Zhou rulers as Hegemons in nominal charge of keeping the peace. Domains still conquered others, though, becoming effectively independent states. Eventually the system fully broke down, and during the Warring States Period (c.475-221 BCE) the seven remaining states duked it out.
51.	Qin of the clan of Ying United everyone. When reign passed to Ershi, Chu and Han contended.	嬴秦氏 始兼并 传二世 楚汉争
	• The warring state that ended up on top was Qin ruled by Ying Zheng, who as Qin Shihuang created a united empire (221 BCE). His son Ershi (“second generation”) was killed by rebels (207 BCE), and the ensuing scramble for power eventually resulted in the warlords of the domains of Chu (in Hunan) and Han (in Sichuan) duking it out.
52.	Gaozu then rose up, Founding the House of Han— Until Wang Mang usurped Little Emperor Ping.	高祖兴 汉业建 至孝平 王莽篡
	• Gaozu of Han won, establishing the Han Dynasty (202 BCE). Infant Emperor Ping was deposed (9 CE) by his regent, Wang Mang, who ruled in his own name.
53.	Guangwu then rose up— He of the Eastern Han. Han ruled four hundred years, Ending with Emperor Xian.	光武兴 为东汉 四百年 终于献
	• Emperor Gunagwu restored Han rule (25 CE), starting the Eastern period of the Han Dynasty (25-220).
54.	Then Wei and Shu and Wu Contended for Han’s throne— We call them the Three Kingdoms— Until the two Jins ruled.	魏蜀吴 争汉鼎 号三国 迄两晋
	• As the Han empire disintegrated (starting in 184), the ensuing scramble for power eventually resulted in the warlords of the Three Kingdoms of Wei, Shu, and Wu duking it out. Wei won but its throne was seized by the founder of the Jin Dynasty, which also had Western (266-316) and Eastern (317-420) periods.
55.	Song and Qi then followed, Liang and Chen succeeded— These Southern Dynasties With capital Nanjing.	宋齐继 梁陈承 为南朝 都金陵
	• The account skips the chaos of the Sixteen Kingdoms period (304-439), with lots of duking it out, and jumps straight to the Northern & Southern Dynasties (420-589), where the two core regions of China (centered on the Yellow and Yangzi Rivers) were each ruled by a succession of dynasties duking it out with each other. These are the four Southern Dynasties.
56.	Up north, the Yuan of Wei Divided East and West. The Yuwen clan had Zhou. The Gao of Qi rose up.	北元魏 分东西 宇文周 兴高齐
	• These are the first five Northern Dynasties with their ruling families (there’s three Weis: an initial Northern that split into simultaneous Eastern and Western).
57.	At last we come to Sui, Uniting all the land. The reign was passed on once And then they lost the throne.	迨至隋 一土宇 不再传 失统绪
	• The Sui, a northern dynasty, reunited the empire (589), but as with the Qin, the second Sui emperor was killed by rebels (618).
58.	Then Gaozu, Duke of Tang, Gathered righteous troops, Ended the Sui unrest, And founded a new state.	唐高祖 起义师 除隋乱 创国基
	• Gaozu of Tang won the next scramble for power, founding the Tang Dynasty (618-907).
59.	Twenty times, rule passed For three full centuries. The Liang extinguished it And thus the state was changed.	二十传 三百载 梁灭之 国乃改
	• The last Tang emperor was usurped by the founder of the Later Liang Dynasty (907-923), initiating the Five Dynasties & Ten Kingdoms Period (907-979). The Ten Kingdoms are also skipped in this account—as is Wu Zetian’s interruption of the Tang succession, despite the parallels with Wang Mang. (sings 🎵 we don’t talk about Zetian 🎵)
60.	The Liang and Tang and Jin Plus Han and also Zhou Are the Five Dynasties— Each one had its causes.	梁唐晋 及汉周 称五代 皆有由
	• The Five Dynasties are the Later Liang, Later Tang, Later Jin, Later Han, and Later Zhou. In the context of st.62, the “causes” are why they rose and fell.
61.	Then blazing Song rose up, Received Zhou’s abdication. Eighteen times, rule passed Till South by North was flooded.	炎宋兴 受周禅 十八传 南北混
	• The Later Zhou state was usurped by the founder of the Song Dynasty in 960. It’s “blazing” because if you identify the succession of the Five Dynasties with the succession of the Five Phases (see st.17), Song returns the cycle to Fire. This account stops with the Southern Song’s conquest by Mongol forces from the north because that’s when this was written. (Ming, Qing, and Republican Era editions of this poem added stanzas taking the account up to their present.)
62.	All that’s in seventeen Dynastic histories, Showing good rule and chaos— Know each rise and fall.	十七史 全在兹 载治乱 知兴衰
	• Finally we return to discussing the syllabus.
63.	Study the history books, Sift the veritable records From ancient times till now— Till it’s like you witnessed it.	读史书 考实录 通古今 若亲目
	• In addition to the official dynastic histories, the Veritable Records of each ruler from the first Liang Dynasty on were published after his/her death, being annals of the reign including all official documents. In other words, don’t just read the digests, long as they are—go to the primary sources.
64.	Recite them with your mouth, Ponder them in your heart— Do this in the morning, Do this in the evening.	口而诵 心而惟 朝于斯 夕于斯
65.	Confucius long ago Took Xiang Tuo as his teacher— The ancient sage, though able, Still diligently learned.	昔仲尼 师项橐 古圣贤 尚勤学
	• The rest of the poem is an exhortation via exempla to study hard, continuing the theme begun in st.2.
66.	Zhao Pu as chancellor Still read the Analects— Already an official Yet learned with diligence.	赵中令 读鲁论 彼既仕 学且勤
	• Zhao Pu was chancellor to the first two Song emperors.
67.	One split and wove his reeds, One peeled his bamboo slips— They neither one had books Yet knew to make an effort.	披蒲编 削竹简 彼无书 且知勉
	• Before paper, people wrote on mats of woven reeds or on slips of bamboo wood bound into a scroll. Lu Wenshu and Gongsun Hong were poor enough that, as students, they had to make their own copy-books.
68.	One tied his hair to the rafters, One pricked his thigh with an awl— They didn’t have a teacher But toiled with diligence.	头悬梁 锥刺股 彼不教 自勤苦
	• To keep themselves awake while studying late, Sun Jing knotted his hair around a rafter so it pulled if he nodded off, while Su Qin pricked his thigh.
69.	One bagged up fireflies, One used moon’s glare from snow— Although their homes were poor They studied continuously.	如囊萤 如映雪 家虽贫 学不缀
	• Che Yin’s family couldn’t afford oil for a lamp, so he read by the light of fireflies captured in gauze bags. Sun Kang’s family ditto, so he read by moonlight reflected off snow.
70.	One carried firewood, One propped his books on horns— Although their bodies toiled In hardship, they rose high.	如负薪 如挂角 身虽劳 犹苦卓
	• Before passing the civil service exams in middle-age, Zhu Maichen supported himself as a woodcutter. Li Mi had the habit of riding on a cow instead of a horse, so he could prop a book on the horns to read as he traveled (however, unlike the other seven in this passage, he was born rich, and never toiled for a living).
71.	Su Xun styled Laoquan At twenty-seven years, Began to make an effort And studied books and records.	苏老泉 二十七 始发愤 读书籍
72.	He had gotten old And regretted his delays— All you little boys Should early think on this.	彼既老 犹悔迟 尔小生 宜早思
73.	And likewise there’s Liang Hao: At eighty-two years old, He answered in the courtyard, Ranked first of many scholars.	若梁灏 八十二 对大廷 魁多士
	• The civil service exams were held in courtyards, and Liang Hao was responding to questions from the oral portion. Other records disagree with this account, saying he was actually twenty-three when he achieved first place in the imperial exam.
74.	When he accomplished this, They called it wonderful— All you little boys Should right now be resolved.	彼既成 衆称异 尔小生 宜立志
75.	Zu Ying at eight years old Could recite the Songs. Li Bi at seven years Could write a poem on go.	莹八岁 能咏诗 泌七岁 能赋碁
	• Zu Ying had memorized the entire Classic of Songs by age eight. Li Bi at age seven was introduced to Tang Emperor Xuanzong as a promising student, and at imperial command he improvised a poem on go a.k.a. weiqi.
76.	They were both so clever, Men called them wonderful— All of you young students Ought to be like them.	彼颖悟 人称奇 尔幼学 当效之
77.	Cai Yan styled Wenji Had talent with the qin, And that Xie Daoyun Could sing poems of her own.	蔡文姬 能辨琴 谢道韫 能咏吟
	• Cai Yan was a musician, composer, and poet, and the subject of “Eighteen Songs of a Nomad Flute.” The qin was the prestige form of zither. Xie Daoyun was a poet and scholar (and a badass woman of history).
78.	Both of them were girls, Yet they were bright and clever— All you sons of men Ought to rouse yourselves.	彼女子 且聪敏 尔男子 当自警
	• UUUGGGHHH misogyny, using the accomplishments of women to taunt boys.
79.	Liu Yan of the Tang At seven years of age, Was held a “godly child” And made Corrector of Texts.	唐刘晏 方七岁 举神童 作正字
	• Other records claim Liu Yan was actually nine when he was appointed a proofreader of official records by Tang Emperor Xuanzong (a reward for a flattering poem).
80.	Even though still young, He served as an official— All of you young students Strive to do the same: Those who do the work Will also be like him.	彼虽幼 身己仕 尔幼学 勉而致 有为者 亦若是
81.	The dog keeps guard at night, The cock’s in charge of dawn— If you don’t study, how Can you become a man?	犬守夜 鸡司晨 苟不学 曷为人
82.	The silkworm spins out silk, The bee ferments its honey— Men who do not study Aren’t equal to such creatures.	蚕吐丝 蜂酿蜜 人不学 不如物
83.	Learn while you are young, Advance when you are grown— Devote yourself to the ruler And benefit the subjects—	幼而学 壮而行 上致君 下泽民
84.	Raise your reputation And glorify your parents— Shed light on ancestors, Enrich posterity.	扬名声 显父母 光于前 裕于后
85.	Some men bequeath to children Overflowing gold. I am teaching children Only this one Classic.	人遗子 金满嬴 我教子 惟一经
86.	Diligence has payoffs While playing has no profit. I give this warning, oh! Strive with all your might.	勤有功 戏无益 戒之哉 宜勉力

Now imagine learning to read from that …

Index of Chinese translations

Subject quote from Love Is Bigger Than Anything in Its Way, U2.

Comments

[sartorias]

I was reading an autobiography of a Chinese woman and she mentions memorizing it--she was not supposed to be educated but grabbed the chance when brothers and cousins were getting lessons.

[larryhammer]

I’ve seen mention of more than one woman doing that.

BRW, I’ve found a “Three Character Classic for Girls,” but not a lot about it, including how much it was actually used. It didn’t look good, either.

[sartorias]

Buwei Yang Chao mentions it, and says it was all about obedience, so she hated it.

[larryhammer]

Yeah, the little bit I picked through was clearly big on the Three Obediences and Four Virtues.