Advanced - (E1826)

A:

l aoxi ansheng, nnh ao! ji uy ang d` amng, jnr` d e ji ` an, s an-

sh engy oux`ng!
Hello, good sir! It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.
It seems today is quite lucky indeed!
B:
a, n ji ` u sh` ni anqngy ouw ei de K ong Qi u a! x`nghu` x`nghu`!
Ah, you are the young and promising Confucius! Pleased
to meet you!
A:

zh` e sh` b ol y f` en, qng nn xi ` aon` a! w o cxng t ` ed` l ai xi ` ang

nn qngji ` ao, qng nn b` ul`n c`ji ` ao.
This is a small gift for you, please accept it! Ive come here
today to seek your advice. Please grant me your wisdom.
B:

l ai ji ` u l ai b ei, h ai s` ong sh enme ji ` anmi ` anl a, n t ` ai k` eqi le!

qng zu` o, qng h ech a.
You should have just come. Youre too polite to bring such
gifts! Please take a seat and have some tea.
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B:
w o zh` e t ush ugu an l de c angsh u n d ou y anx gu` o le ma?
Have you closely read over all the books in my library?
A: ......

c u c u de d u guo le, b` ugu` o...... w o zh ouy ou g` egu o, xu an-

chu an w o de zh`gu o sxi ang, k e n` axi e j unzh u d ou b` u c ain` a.
` ai! sh` n` axi e zh u n any shu ot ong ne, h aish` d` ao n any
shu oqng ne?
Ive skimmed through them, but...Ive traveled far and wide
to every nation preaching my ideology on how to run a coun-
try, but no king is willing to adopt it. Ah! Is it that the monar-
chs are difcult to convince or that the Dao is difcult to
explain?
B:

AB

cu` o le, cu` o le. d` ao k e d` ao, f ei ch ang d` ao

d` ao r ugu o k e-
y shu o mngbai, ji esh` qngch u, n` a ji ` u b` ush` d` ao le. d` ao
sh` w uxng de, y ongh eng de, sh` y uzh` ou w` anw` u c unz` ai de
f az e. n b` un eng y` ong y uy an g ei t a ji a y g` e mngch eng. yn-
w` ei n ji ` ao t a A, t a ji ` u b` ush` B le, n ch eng t a b ai, t a ji ` u b` ush`
h ei le. zh` e b` u ji ` u r ` ang r en w` ur ` u qt u ma!
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Thats incorrect. The Dao can be understood, but not ar-
ticulated. If you can explain the Dao and explain it clearly,
then you have not explained the Dao. The Dao is intangible
and perpetual; it is the law that binds all things that exist
within the cosmos. You cannot use language to explain it,
for if you call it A, then it is no longer B; if you call it white,
then it is no longer black. This leads people astray!
A:
l aoxi ansheng, nn t ` ai y ou zh`hu` le!
Youre so wise, venerable sir!
Key Vocabulary
ji uy ang pleased to meet you
s ansh engy ou-
x`ng
to be truly fortunate
ni anqngy ouw ei promising young per-
son
x`nghu` to be glad to meet
someone
b ol a humble gift
xi ` aon` a to kindly accept
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b` ul`n to not stint
c`ji ` ao to grant instruction
y anx to examine and study
d` ao the Way

d` aok e-
d` ao,fei1ch ang-
d` ao
the Dao can be un-
derstood but not artic-
ulated
w` ur ` u qt u to lead astray
ji ` anmi ` anl meeting gift
zh ouy ou to travel far and wide
j unzh u monarch
c ain` a to adopt
w uxng intangible
Supplementary Vocabulary

Ch unqi u
Zh` angu o sh-
q
The Spring and Au-
tumn period and War-
ring States period
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R uji a xu ep` ai Confucianism
D` aoji a xu ep` ai Daoism
w enzh ouzh ou bookish
qi ansh eng previous life; previous
incarnation
jnsh` this life; current incar-
nation
l aish eng next life; future incar-
nation
l`ns` e stingy
zh uh ougu o vassal state

D` aod ejng Dao De Jing

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