A sage has no heart, takes the heart of the hundred surnames to be her
任德 · Rèn Dé
Classical Chinese Text
圣人常无心，以百姓①之心为心。善者，吾善之，不善者，吾亦善之，德善；信者，吾信之，不信者，吾亦信之，德信。圣人在天下，歙歙焉为天下浑其心，百姓皆注其耳目，圣人皆孩之。
Translation & Meaning
A sage has no heart, takes the heart of the hundred surnames to be her heart. (To) those good (at Tao), I treat them good; to those not good (at Tao), I still treat them good, gaining goodness. (To) those honest, I give them honesty; (to) those dishonest, I still give honesty, gaining honesty. A sage under heaven restraints (own heart), pures the heart for all that is under heaven, the hundred surnames concentrate on ears and eyes, the sage make them childlike.
Linguistic & Character Analysis
- 圣 (shèng): sage / enlightened one
- 人 (rén): person / human
- 常 (cháng): constant / dynamic invariable
- 无 (wú): formless void / non-being / without
- 心 (xīn): heart-mind / awareness
- 以 (yǐ): in order to / by means of
- 百 (bǎi): classical character (bǎi)
- 姓 (xìng): classical character (xìng)
- 之 (zhī): particle: of / possessive / it
- 为 (wèi): act / deem / become
- 善 (shàn): goodness / skillful / kind
- 者 (zhě): aspects / those who / things
- 吾 (wú): I / myself
- 不 (bù): not / un- / without
- 亦 (yì): classical character (yì)
- 德 (dé): Intrinsic Virtue / inner power
- 信 (xìn): truth / fidelity / honesty
- 在 (zài): classical character (zài)
- 天 (tiān): heaven / nature / cosmos
- 下 (xià): under / earthly realm / humble
- 歙 (xī): classical character (xī)
- 焉 (yān): classical character (yān)
- 浑 (hún): classical character (hún)
- 其 (qí): its / their / his / her
- 皆 (jiē): all / universally
- 注 (zhù): classical character (zhù)
- 耳 (ěr): classical character (ěr)
- 目 (mù): classical character (mù)
- 孩 (hái): classical character (hái)