Oct
28
2011
English Translation for Di Zi Gui
Parents with schooling kids in Chinese school must be wondering what this Di Zi Gui is about and why our kids are reading this everyday during their assembly before class starts.
Di Zi Gui is a little bit difficult to understand because it has deep meaning and it does not use daily words. Here is a translation with it’s English meaning and even my friends who can read Chinese find this very useful to help them understand what it is all about.
P/S: Let me know if you need any explanation on any chapter (refer to the number on the left) and I will try my best to explain-however only base on my understanding 
| 原文 Text | Pin Yin | English | |||
| 1 | 弟子規，聖人訓 | (1) Di zi gui, sheng ren xun | “The Rules for Students” are the Sage’s teachings. | ||
| 首孝弟, 次謹信 | Shou xiao, ti ci jin xin | First be good to parents and respect elders; next be reverend and trustworthy. | |||
| 泛愛眾，而親仁 | Fan ai zhong, er qin ren | Love everyone and become close with the kind-hearted. | |||
| 有餘力，則學文 | You yu li, ze xue wen | If there’s energy left over, then study books. | |||
| 右總敘 | Ru ze xiao | ||||
| 2 | 父母呼，應勿緩 | (2) Fu mu hu, ying wu huan | When parents call, don’t be slow to answer. | ||
| 父母命，行勿懶 | Fu mu ming, Xing wu lan | When parents give an order, act, don’t be lazy. | |||
| 父母教，須敬聽 | Fu mu jiao, Xu jing ting | When parents teach, one must listen respectfully. | |||
| 父母責，須我承 | Fu mu ze, Xu shun cheng | When parents reprimand, one must accept. | |||
| 3 | 冬則溫，夏則清 | (3) Dong ze wen, Xia ze jing | In winter keep warm; in summer keep cool. | ||
| 晨則省，昏則定 | Chen ze xing, Hun ze ding | In the morning think over your conduct; in the evening settle down. | |||
| 出必告，返必面 | Chu bi gu, Fan bi mian | When leaving one must tell one’s parents; upon returning one must see one’s parents face-to face. | |||
| 居有常，業無變 | Ju you chang, Ye wu bian | There should be regularity in one’s daily life, and no change in one’s career. | |||
| 4 | 事雖小，勿擅為 | (4) Shi sui xiao, Wu shan wei | Though a matter may be small, don’t act arbitrarily. | ||
| 苟擅為，子道虧 | Gou shan wei, Zi dao kui | If one acts arbitrarily, the code that a son ought to follow gets damaged. | |||
| 物雖小，勿私藏 | Wu sui xiao, Wu zi cang | Though a thing may be small, don’t selfishly hoard it. | |||
| 苟私藏，親心傷 | Gou si cang, Qin ai shang | If one selfishly hoards, the parents’ hearts will be hurt. | |||
| 5 | 親所好，力為具 | (5) Qin suo hao, li we ju | What parents like, make an effort to possess. | ||
| 親所惡，謹為去 | Qin suo wu, jin wei qu | What parents despise, carefully get rid of. | |||
| 身有傷，貽親憂 | Shen you shang, yi qin you | Injury to one’s body brings parents worry. | |||
| 德有傷，貽親羞 | De you shang, yi qin xiu | Injury to one’s character brings parents shame. | |||
| 親愛我，孝何難 | Qin ai wo, xiao he nan | When parents love me, it is easy to be good to parents. | |||
| 親憎我，孝方賢 | Qin zeng wo, xiao fang xian | When parents detest me, then it’s truly virtuous to be good to parents. | |||
| 6 | 親有過，諫使更 | (6) Qin you guo, jian shi geng | When parents are doing something that’s wrong, counsel them to make them change. | ||
| 怡吾色，柔吾聲 | Yi wu se, rou wu sheng | Make my expression pleasant, and soften my voice. | |||
| 諫不入，悅復諫 | Jian pu ru, yue fu jian | If the counsel is not accepted, wait until parents are happy then counsel them again. | |||
| 號泣隨，撻無怨 | Hao qi sui, ta wu yuan | Weeping and wailing should follow, and beatings are borne without complaint. | |||
| 7 | 親有疾，藥先嘗 | (7) Qin you ji, yao xian chang | When parents fall ill, one tastes the medicine first (to see if it’s been brewed to the proper degree), | ||
| 晝夜侍，不離床 | Zhou ye shi, bu li chuang | And attend day and night, not leaving the bed. | |||
| 喪三年，常悲咽 | Shang san nian, chang bei ye | One mourns for thee years, often sobbing sadly. | |||
| 居處變，酒色絕 | Ju chu bian, jiu rou jue | The place of living should change, and one should abstain from wine and sex. | |||
| 喪盡禮，祭盡誠 | Sang jin li, ji jin cheng | At the funeral there should be the utmost decorum; at memorial services there should be the utmost sincerity. | |||
| 侍死者，如事生 | Shi si ze, ru shi sheng | Serve the dead like serving the living. | |||
| Chu ze ti | |||||
| 8 | 兄道友，弟道恭 | (8) Xiong dao you, di dao gong | The proper way for the older brother is friendliness; the way for the younger brother is respect. | ||
| 兄弟睦，孝在中 | Xiong di mu, xiao zai zhong | When brothers are harmonious, that is in itself being good to parents. | |||
| 財物輕，怨何生 | Cai wu qing, yuan he sheng | When money and material things are taken lightly, how can resentment arise? | |||
| 言語忍，憤自泯 | Yan yu ren, fen zi min | When words are tolerated, anger naturally dissipates. | |||
| 9 | 或飲食，或坐走 | (9) Huo ying shi, huo zuo zou | In eating and drinking, and in walking and sitting down, | ||
| 長者先，幼者後 | Zhang zhe xian, you zhe hou, | The elder person goes first; the junior person goes after. | |||
| 長呼人，即代叫 | Zhang hu ren, ji dai jiao | When an elder is calling someone, immediately call that person for the elder. | |||
| 人不在，己先到 | Ren pu zai, ji ji dao | If that person is not there, go to the elder yourself. | |||
| 10 | 稱尊長，勿呼名 | (10) Cheng zun zhang, wu hu ming | When addressing a respected elder, don’t call him by name. | ||
| 對尊長，勿見能 | Dui zun zhang, wu xian neng | In front of a respected elder, don’t show off. | |||
| 路遇長，疾趨揖 | Lu yu zhang, ji qu yi | When meeting an elder on the road, quickly go up and bow. | |||
| 長無言，退恭立 | Zhang wu yan, tui gong li | If the elder has nothing to say, retreat and stand respectfully. | |||
| 騎下馬，乘下車 | Qi xia ma, cheng xia ju | Get off if riding a horse, get out if in a car. | |||
| 過尤待，百步余 | Guo you dai, bai bu yu | Wait even after the elder passes, for a hundred steps or more. | |||
| 11 | 長者立，幼者立 | (11) Zhang zhe li, you wu zuo | When the elder person stands, the junior person stands. | ||
| 長者坐，命乃坐 | Zhang zhe zuo, ming nai zuo | When the elder person sits, only upon being ordered does the junior person sit. | |||
| 尊長前，聲要低 | Zun zhang qian, sheng yao di | In front of a respected elder, one’s voice has to be low, | |||
| 低下聞，為非宜 | Di bu wen, que fei yi | But if it’s too low to be heard, then that’s not suitable. | |||
| 進必趨，退必遲 | Jin bi qu, tui bi chi | Going into an elder one must hurry; leaving an elder one must be slow. | |||
| 問起對，視勿移 | Wen qi dui, shi wu yi | When asked a question one rises and answers, without moving one’s gaze. | |||
| 12 | 事諸父，如事父 | (12) Shi zhu fu, ru shi fu | Serve the elders of your father’s generation like serving your father. | ||
| 事諸兄，如事兄 | Shi zhu xiong, ru shi xiong | Serve the elders of your big brother’s generation like serving your big brother. | |||
| 右入則孝出則弟 | JIN | . | |||
| 13 | 朝起早，夜眠遲 | (13) Zhao qi zao, ye mian chi | In the morning rise early; at night go to sleep late. | ||
| 老易至，惜此時 | Lao yi zhi, xi ci shi | Old age arrives readily; value this time. | |||
| 晨必盥，兼漱口 | Chen bi guan, jian shu kou | In the morning one must wash the hands, plus rinse the mouth. | |||
| 便溺回，輒淨手 | Bian niao hui, zhe jinh shou | After returning from urination and defecation, always clean the hands. | |||
| 14 | 冠必正，紐必結 | (14) Guan bi zheng, niu bi jie | The hat must be on straight; the buttons must be done up. | ||
| 襪與履，俱緊切 | Wa yu lu, ju jin qie | The socks and shoes should all be on snugly. | |||
| 置冠服，有定位 | Zhi guan fu, you ding wei | For putting hats and clothes, there should be set places. | |||
| 勿亂頓，致汗穢 | Wu luan dun, zhi wu hui | Don’t set them down in a disorderly manner, making a sweaty mess. | |||
| 15 | 衣貴潔，不貴華 | (15) yi gui jie, bu gui hua | In clothes value cleanliness, not fanciness. | ||
| 上循分，下稱家 | Shang xun fen, xia chen jia | First, follow one’s station in life; second, suit the family’s financial situation. | |||
| 對飲食，勿揀選 | Dui yin shi, wu jian ze | With food and drink don’t be picky. | |||
| 食適可，勿過則 | Shi shi ke, wu guo ze | Eat just enough; don’t eat excessively. | |||
| 年方少，勿飲酒 | Nian fang shao, wu yin jiu | While still young, don’t drink alcohol. | |||
| 飲酒醉，最為醜 | Yin jiu zui, zui wei chou | Being drunk is most ugly. | |||
| 16 | 步從容，立端正 | (16) Bu cong rong, li duan zheng | Walk relaxed; stand straight. | ||
| 揖深圓，拜恭敬 | Yi shen yuan, bai gong jing | Bow deep and round; when kneeling to pay homage do so reverently. | |||
| 勿踐或，勿跛倚 | Wu jian yu, wu bo yi | Don’t step on the threshold; don’t stand leaning on one leg. | |||
| 勿箕踞，勿搖卑 | Wu ji ju, wu yao bi | Don’t sit with legs straight and apart; don’t wave the bottom. | |||
| 17 | 緩揭簾，勿有聲 | (17) Huan jie lian, wu you sheng | Open curtains slowly, without noise. | ||
| 寬轉彎，勿觸稜 | Kuan zhuan wan, wu chu leng | Turn turns widely, without hitting the corners. | |||
| 執虛器，如執盈 | Zhi xu qi, ru zhi ying | Hold empty vessels like holding full ones. | |||
| 入虛室，如有人 | Ru xu shi, ru you ren | Enter empty rooms as if someone is there. | |||
| 事勿忙，忙多錯 | Shi wu mang, mang duo cuo | Don’t hurry when doing things, or there will be many mistakes. | |||
| 勿畏難，勿輕問 | Wu wei nan, wu qing lue | Don’t fear difficulties; don’t look down upon asking questions. | |||
| 鬥鬧場，絕毋近 | Dou nao chang, jue wu jin | Scenes of fighting and disturbances, do not ever go near. | |||
| 邪僻事，絕勿聲 | Xie pi shi, jue wu wen | Evil deviant things, don’t ever say. | |||
| 18 | 將入門，問誰存 | (18) jiang ru men, wen shu cun | When about to enter through a door, ask who is there. | ||
| 將上堂，聲必揚 | Jiang shang tang, sheng bi yang | When about to enter a hall, one must call out one’s arrival. | |||
| 人問誰，對以名 | Ren wen shui, dui yi ming | When people ask who is there, answer with your name. | |||
| 吾與我，不分明 | Wu yu wo, bu fen ming | “Me” and “I” don’t make anything clear. | |||
| 用人物，須明求 | Yong ren wu, xu ming qiu | When using other people’s things, one must clearly ask. | |||
| 倘不問，即為偷 | Tang bu wen, ji wei tou | If one doesn’t ask, then it is stealing. | |||
| 借人物，及時還 | Jie ren wu, ji shi huan | When borrowing other people’s things, return them on time. | |||
| 人借物，有勿慳 | Hou you ji, jie bu nan | When borrow again in future, it becomes easy | |||
| XIN | |||||
| 19 | 凡出言，信為先 | (19) fan chu yan, xin wei xian | Whenever one speaks, trustworthiness comes first. | ||
| 詐與妄，奚可焉 | Zha yu wang, xi ke yan | Lying and absurd wild talk, how can one engage in such things? | |||
| 話說多，不如少 | Hua shuo tuo, pu ru shao | Talking a lot is not as good as talking less. | |||
| 惟其是，勿佞巧 | Wei qi shi, wu ning qiao | Say only what is true, don’t be glib or tricky. | |||
| 刻薄詞，穢汙詞 | Jian qiao yu, hui wu ci | Cutting and disdainful words, dirty and filthy words, | |||
| 市井氣，切戒之 | Shi jing qi, qie jie zhi | Such vulgar airs, definitely get rid of them. | |||
| 20 | 見未真，勿輕言 | (20) jian wei zhen, wu qing yan | When still unsure of what you are seeing, do not lightly speak on it. | ||
| 知未的，勿輕傳 | Zhi wei di, wu qing chuan | When still unsure of what you know, don’t lightly spread it. | |||
| 事非宜，勿輕諾 | Shi fei yi, wu qing nuo | If conditions aren’t favorable, don’t lightly promise. | |||
| 苟輕諾，進退錯 | Gou qing nuo, jin tui cuo | If one lightly promises, then both going forward to do it and backing off from doing it are wrong. | |||
| 凡道字，重且舒 | Fan dao zi, zhong qie shu | Whenever you say something, say it with weight and relaxation, | |||
| 勿急疾，勿模糊 | Wu ji ji, wu mo hu | Not hurriedly or quickly, nor blurred and unintelligibly. | |||
| 彼說長，此說短 | Bi shuo zhang, ci shuo duan | This one gossips about this; that one gossips about that; | |||
| 不關己，莫閒管 | Bu guan ji, mo xian guan | If it doesn’t concern yourself, don’t participate. | |||
| 21 | 見人善，即思齊 | (21) jian ren shan, ji si qi | On seeing others being good, think of equaling them. | ||
| 縱去遠，以漸躋 | Zong qu yuan, yi jian ji | Even if far below them, you can gradually improve. | |||
| 見人惡，即內省 | Jian ren e, ji nei xing | On seeing others being bad, inspect yourself. | |||
| 有則改，無加警 | You ze gai, wu jia jing | If like them then correct it; if not then be vigilant. | |||
| 22 | 惟德學，惟才藝 | (22) Wei de xue, wei cai yi | Only in virtue and learning, and in ability and skill, | ||
| 不如人，當自勵 | Bu ru ren, dang zi li, | If not as good as others, then one should spur onese lf on. | |||
| 若衣服，若環食 | Ruo yi fu, ruo yin shi | If it’s in clothing and attire, or housing and food, | |||
| 不如人，勿生戚 | Bu ru ren, wu shen qi | That one is not as good as others, don’t be sad. | |||
| 23 | 聞過怒，聞譽樂 | (23)Wen guo nu, wen yu le | Becoming angry upon hearing faults and happy upon hearing praise, | ||
| 損友來，益友卻 | Sun you lai, yi you que | Will cause harmful friends to come and beneficial friends to leave. | |||
| 聞譽恐，聞過欣 | Wen yu kong, wen guo xin | Becoming fearful upon hearing praise and happy upon hearing faults, | |||
| 直諒士，漸相親 | Zhi liang shi, jian xiang qin | Will cause straight and honest gentlemen to gradually draw close. | |||
| 24 | 無心非，名為錯 | (24) Wu xin fei, ming wei cuo | Doing wrong unintentionally is called making a mistake; | ||
| 有心非，名為惡 | You xin fei, ming wei e | Doing wrong intentionally is called committing an evil. | |||
| 過能改，歸於無 | Guo neng gai, gui yu wu | If one corrects what one has done wrong, then it’s as if it hasn’t happened. | |||
| 倘掩飾，增一辜 | Tang yan shi, zeng yi gu | If one covers up, then one adds to one’s trespass. | |||
| 右謹而信 | Fan ai zhong | ||||
| 25 | 凡是人，皆須愛 | (25) fan shi ren, jie xu ai | All who are human, one must love. | ||
| 天同覆，地同載 | Tian tong fu, di tong zai | Heaven covers us equally; Earth bears us equally. | |||
| 26 | 行高者，名自高 | (26) xing gao zhe, ming zi gao | People with high conduct naturally have high reputations; | ||
| 人所重，非貌高 | Ren suo zhong, fei mao gao | What people value is not high looks. | |||
| 才大者，望自大 | Cai de zhe, wang zi da | People with great ability naturally have great fame; | |||
| 人所服，非言大 | Ren suo fu, fei yan da | What people respect is not great words. | |||
| 27 | 己有能，勿自私 | (27) ji you neng, wu zi si | If one has ability, one shouldn’t be selfish. | ||
| 人有能，勿輕訾 | Ren suo neng, wu qing zi | If other people have ability, one shouldn’t denigrate them. | |||
| 勿諂富，勿驕貧 | Wu chan fu, wu jiao pin | Don’t fawn on the rich; don’t be arrogant to the poor. | |||
| 勿厭故，勿喜新 | Wu yan gu, wu xi xin | Don’t despise the old; don’t favor the new. | |||
| 人不閒，勿事搞 | Ren bu xian, wu shi jiao | If people don’t have time, don’t bother them with matters. | |||
| 人不安，勿話搞 | Ren bu an, wu hua rao | If people are not at peace, don’t bother them with words. | |||
| 28 | 人有短，切莫揭 | (28) Ren you duan, qie mo jie | When people have shortcomings, definitely don’t publicize them. | ||
| 人有私，切莫說 | Ren you si, qie mo shuo | When people have secrets, definitely don’t say them. | |||
| 道人善，即是善 | Dao ren shan, ji shi shan | Speaking of others’ good deeds is in itself a good deed. | |||
| 人知之，愈思勉 | Ren zhi zhi, yu si mian | When others learn of it, they become more encouraged. | |||
| 揚人短，即是惡 | Yang ren e, ji shi e | Publicizing other people’s shortcomings is in itself evil. | |||
| 疾之甚，禍且作 | Ji zhi shen, huo qie zuo | People hate it very much, and disaster arises. | |||
| 善相勸，德皆建 | Shan xiang quan, de jie jian | Admonishing each other to do good builds up everyone’s virtue. | |||
| 過不規，道兩虧 | Guo bu gui, dao liang kui | Not dissuading another from doing wrong damages both parties’ character. | |||
| 29 | 凡取與，貴分曉 | (29) fan qu yu, gui fen xiao | When taking and giving, making everything clear is what’s important. | ||
| 與宜多，取宜少 | Yu yi duo, qu yi shao | It’s better to give much and take little. | |||
| 將加人，先問己 | Jiang jia ren, xian wen ji | When about to do unto others, first ask yourself; | |||
| 己不欲，即速已 | Ji bu yu, ji su yi | If you don’t want it, then stop immediately. | |||
| 恩欲報，怨欲忘 | En yu bao, yuan yu wang | One wants to repay kindness and forget grudges. | |||
| 報怨短，報恩長 | Bao yuan duan, bao en chang | Repaying grudges is short; repaying kindness is long. | |||
| 30 | 待婢僕，身貴端 | (30) dai bi pu, shen gui duan | In dealing with maids and servants, one is of high station. | ||
| 雖貴端，慈而寬 | Sui gui duan, ci er kuan | Though of high station, one must be kind and forgiving. | |||
| 勢服人，心不然 | Shi fu ren, xin bu ran | Using force to make people submit doesn’t make their hearts submit. | |||
| 理服人，方無言 | Li fu ren, fang wu yan | Using reason to make people submit, only then are there no words (of discontent). | |||
| QING REN | |||||
| 31 | 同是人，類不齊 | (31) tong shi ren, lei bu qi | All are human, but their types differ. | ||
| 流俗眾，仁者希 | Liu su zhong, ren zhe xi | Most belong to the unrefined; the truly kind-hearted are rare. | |||
| 果仁者，人多畏 | Guo ren zhe, ren duo wei | A truly kind-hearted person is feared by most people; | |||
| 言不諱，色不媚 | Yan bu hui, se bu mei | He is not afraid of his words causing offense; his expression is not fawning. | |||
| 能親仁，無限好 | Neng qin ren, wu xian hao | To be able to become close with the kind-hearted is infinitely good. | |||
| 德日進，過日少 | De ri jin, guo ri shao | One’s virtue will daily advance; one’s errors will daily lessen. | |||
| 不親仁，無限害 | Bu qin ren, wu xian hai | Not becoming close with the kind-hearted is infinitely harmful; | |||
| 小人進，百事壞 | Xiao ren jin, bai shi huai | Lowly people will come and everything will turn bad. | |||
| 右汎愛眾而親仁 | YU LI XUE WEN | ||||
| 32 | 不力行，但學文 | (32) Bu li xing, dan xue wen | If one doesn’t work hard at conduct, but only studies books, | ||
| 長浮華，成何人 | Zhang fu hua, cheng he ren | Then one attains superficial finery—what kind of person is that? | |||
| 但力行，不學文 | Dan li xing, bu xue wen | If one only works hard at conduct, but does not study books, | |||
| 任己見，昧理真 | Ren ji jian, mei li zhen | Then one relies only on one’s own views, and remain ignorant of true reason. | |||
| 33 | 讀書法，有三到 | (33) Du shu fa, you san dao | The way to study requires three things coming together: | ||
| 心眼口，信皆要 | Xin yan kou, xin jie yao | Heart, eyes and mouth, are all necessary. | |||
| 方讀此，勿慕彼 | Fan du ci, wu mu bi | When you’ve just begun reading one book, don’t yearn for another; | |||
| 此未終，彼勿起 | Ci wei zhong, bi wu qi | When the first book hasn’t been finished, don’t start another one. | |||
| 寬為限，緊用功 | Kuan wei xian, jin yong gong | Set wide limits; apply tight efforts. | |||
| 功夫到，滯塞通 | Gong fu dao, zhi se tong | With proper effort, obstacles will be overcome. | |||
| 心有疑，隨札記 | Xin you yi, sui zha ji | When there is doubt, note it down right away, | |||
| 就人問，求確義 | Jiu ren wen, qiu que yi | So as to ask people and get the true meaning. | |||
| 34 | 房室清，牆壁淨 | (34) Fang shi qing, qiang bi jing | The room should be clean; the walls, clear; | ||
| 几案潔，筆硯正 | Ji an jie, bi yan zheng | The desk, spotless; the pen and inkwell, straight. | |||
| 墨磨偏，心不端 | Mo mo pian, xin bu duan | If the ink is ground unevenly, the heart is not upright; | |||
| 字不敬，心先病 | Zi bu jing, xin xian bing | If the words are not respectful, the heart has first fallen ill. | |||
| 列典籍，有定處 | Lie dian ji, you ding chu | Books should be set out in a regular place. | |||
| 讀看畢，還原處 | Du kan bi, huan yuan chu | After reading, return them to their original place. | |||
| 雖有急，卷束齊 | Sui you ji, juan shu qi | Though there may be an urgent matter, roll and tie them properly, | |||
| 有缺壞，就補之 | You que huai, jiu bu zhi | And if there’s damage, repair it immediately. | |||
| 非聖書，屏勿視 | Fei sheng shu, bing wu shi | Books not of the sages, reject them; don’t look. | |||
| 蔽聰明，壞心志 | Bi cong ming, huai xin zhi | They cloud the intellect and corrupt one’s heart and aspiration. | |||
| 勿自暴，勿自棄 | Wu shi bao, wu zi qi | Don’t abuse yourself; don’t give up on yourself. | |||
| 聖與賢，可馴致 | Sheng yu xian, ke xun zhi | What is saintly and virtuous, can be gradually attained. | |||
| 右行有餘力則以學文 | DI ZI GUI ZHONG | ||||
| 弟子規終 | Student’s Rules end. |
I guess it’s something like proverbs in English?
Is this what Ethan’s been reciting daily? He has been reciting something but I dunno what.. very long one.. very berbunga lagi!
Wow, it’s very, very looooooooooong! The pupils must memorize all? Thanks for the translation. These are all good values for kid to learn. Can I copy and paste somewhere for my own reference next time?
actually, i never learnt it also .. was not pop then… it’s good to know the actual meaning …
Wow! That is long, I need time to read. Thanks for sharing. I wonder my girl will be learning this when she is going to Chinese primary school????
There is actually a book solely on di Zi gui being translated in English for free distribution at the temple. Anyway, good job!
I am really not sure if Alycia studies this too, must ask her. But some of the rules are very good esp. in respecting and obeying the parents. Will the students be asked to memorize?
I can read chinese but i didn’t know the meaning until i saw this translation in English!!!