荀子·勸學
Xunzi: An Exhortation to Learning
Xunzi (Xun Kuang) 荀子 (c. 310–c. 235 BCE)
Pre-Qin · c. 3rd century BCE

Cold Library · Open Stacks · S-002006 · https://coldlibrary.com/s/002006
Rights: Classical Chinese text of the Warring States period; the author died about 235 BCE. Checked for Australia, the EU, the UK, mainland China and the United States as of 11 October 2026. Guidance, not legal advice.
Source: Wikisource, https://zh.wikisource.org/wiki/荀子/勸學篇 (retrieved 2026-10-11)
English translation: Claude (an AI), 2026 · CC0 1.0
Generated 2026-10-14 from https://coldlibrary.com/en/open-stacks/xunzi-an-exhortation-to-learning

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君子曰：學不可以已。靑，取之於藍而靑於藍；冰，水爲之而寒於水。木直中繩，輮以爲輪，其曲中規，雖有槁暴，不復挺者，輮使之然也。故木受繩則直，金就礪則利，君子博學而日參省乎己，則知明而行無過矣。故不登髙山，不知天之髙也；不臨深谿，不知地之厚也；不聞先王之遺言，不知學問之大也。于、越、夷、貉之子，生而同聲，長而異俗，教使之然也。《詩》曰：「嗟爾君子，無恆安息。靖共爾位，好是正直。神之聽之，介爾景福。」神莫大於化道，福莫長於無禍。吾嘗終日而思矣，不如須臾之所學也，吾嘗跂而望矣，不如登髙之博見也。登髙而招，臂非加長也，而見者遠；順風而呼，聲非加疾也，而聞者彰。假輿馬者，非利足也，而致千里；假舟楫者，非能水也，而絶江河。君子生非異也，善假於物也。南方有鳥焉，名曰蒙鳩，以羽爲巣而編之以髮，繫之葦苕，風至苕折，卵破子死。巣非不完也，所繫者然也。西方有木焉，名曰射干，莖長四寸，生於髙山之上，而臨百仞之淵，木莖非能長也，所立者然也。蓬生麻中，不扶而直。蘭槐之根是爲芷。其漸之滫，君子不近，庶人不服，其質非不美也，所漸者然也。故君子居必擇鄕，遊必就士，所以防邪僻而近中正也。物類之起，必有所始。榮辱之來，必象其德。肉腐出蟲，魚枯生蠹。怠慢忘身，禍災乃作。强自取柱，柔自取束。邪穢在身，怨之所構。施薪若一，火就燥也；平地若一，水就濕也。草木疇生，禽獸羣焉，物各從其類也。是故質的張而弓矢至焉，林木茂而斧斤至焉，樹成蔭而衆鳥息焉，醯酸而蜹聚焉。故言有召禍也，行有招辱也，君子愼其所立乎！

積土成山，風雨興焉；積水成淵，蛟龍生焉；積善成德，而神明自得，聖心備焉。故不積跬步，無以至千里；不積小流，無以成江海。騏驥一躍，不能十歩；駑馬十駕，功在不舍。鍥而舍之，朽木不折；鍥而不舍，金石可鏤。蚓無爪牙之利，筋骨之强，上食埃土，下飲黃泉，用心一也。蟹六跪而二螯，非蛇鱔之穴無可寄託者，用心躁也。是故無冥冥之志者無昭昭之明，無惛惛之事者無赫赫之功。行衢道者不至，事兩君者不容。目不能兩視而明，耳不能兩聽而聰。螣蛇無足而飛，梧鼠五技而窮。《詩》曰：「尸鳩在桑，其子七兮。淑人君子，其儀一兮。其儀一兮，心如結兮。」故君子結於一也。

昔者瓠巴鼓瑟而流魚出聽，伯牙鼓琴而六馬仰秣。故聲無小而不聞，行無隱而不形；玉在山而草木潤，淵生珠而崖不枯。爲善不積邪，安有不聞者乎？學惡乎始？惡乎終？曰：其數則始乎誦經，終乎讀禮；其義則始乎爲士，終乎爲聖人。眞積力久則入，學至乎没而後止也。故學數有終，若其義則不可須臾舍也。爲之，人也；舍之，禽獸也。故《書》者，政事之紀也；《詩》者，中聲之所止也；《禮》者，法之大分，類之綱紀也。故學至乎《禮》而止矣。夫是之謂道德之極。《禮》之敬文也，《樂》之中和也，《詩》、《書》之博也，《春秋》之微也，在天地之間者畢矣。君子之學也，入乎耳，箸乎心，布乎四體，形乎動静，端而言，蝡而動，一可以爲法則。小人之學也，入乎耳，出乎口。口耳之間則四寸耳，曷足以美七尺之軀哉！古之學者爲己，今之學者爲人。君子之學也，以美其身；小人之學也，以爲禽犢。故不問而告謂之傲，問一而告二謂之囋。傲、非也；囋，非也；君子如嚮矣。學莫便乎近其人。《禮》、《樂》法而不説，《詩》、《書》故而不切，《春秋》約而不速。方其人之習君子之説，則尊以徧矣，周於世矣。故曰學莫便乎近其人。學之經莫速乎好其人，隆禮次之。上不能好其人，下不能隆禮，安特將學雜識志，順《詩》、《書》而已耳，則末世窮年，不免爲陋儒而已。將原先王，本仁義，則禮正其經緯蹊徑也。若挈裘領，詘五指而頓之，順者不可勝數也。不道禮憲，以《詩》、《書》爲之，譬之猶以指測河也，以戈舂黍也，以錐飡壺也，不可以得之矣。故隆禮，雖未明，法士也；不隆禮，雖察辯，散儒也。問楛者勿告也，告楛者勿問也，説楛者勿聽也，有争氣者勿與辯也。故必由其道至，然後接之，非其道則避之。故禮恭而後可與言道之方，辭順而後可與言道之理，色從而後可與言道之致。故未可與言而言謂之傲，可與言而不言謂之隱，不觀氣色而言謂之瞽。故君子不傲，不隱，不瞽，謹順其身。《詩》曰：「匪交匪舒，天子所予。」此之謂也。

百發失一，不足謂善射；千里跬歩不至，不足謂善御；倫類不通，仁義不一，不足謂善學。學也者，固學一之也。一出焉，一入焉，涂巷之人也。其善者少，不善者多，桀、紂、盜跖也。全之盡之，然後學者也。君子知夫不全不粹之不足以爲美也，故誦數以貫之，思索以通之，爲其人以處之，除其害者以持養之，使目非是無欲見也，使耳非是無欲聞也，使口非是無欲言也，使心非是無欲慮也。及至其致好之也，目好之五色，耳好之五聲，口好之五味，心利之有天下。是故權利不能傾也，羣衆不能移也，天下不能蕩也。生乎由是，死乎由是，夫是之謂德操。德操然後能定，能定然後能應，能定能應，夫是之謂成人。天見其明，地見其光，君子貴其全也。

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君子曰：学不可以已。青，取之于蓝而青于蓝；冰，水为之而寒于水。木直中绳，𫐓以为轮，其曲中规，虽有槁暴，不复挺者，𫐓使之然也。故木受绳则直，金就砺则利，君子博学而日参省乎己，则知明而行无过矣。故不登高山，不知天之高也；不临深溪，不知地之厚也；不闻先王之遗言，不知学问之大也。于、越、夷、貉之子，生而同声，长而异俗，教使之然也。《诗》曰：「嗟尔君子，无恒安息。靖共尔位，好是正直。神之听之，介尔景福。」神莫大于化道，福莫长于无祸。吾尝终日而思矣，不如须臾之所学也，吾尝跂而望矣，不如登高之博见也。登高而招，臂非加长也，而见者远；顺风而呼，声非加疾也，而闻者彰。假舆马者，非利足也，而致千里；假舟楫者，非能水也，而绝江河。君子生非异也，善假于物也。南方有鸟焉，名曰蒙鸠，以羽为巢而编之以发，系之苇苕，风至苕折，卵破子死。巢非不完也，所系者然也。西方有木焉，名曰射干，茎长四寸，生于高山之上，而临百仞之渊，木茎非能长也，所立者然也。蓬生麻中，不扶而直。兰槐之根是为芷。其渐之滫，君子不近，庶人不服，其质非不美也，所渐者然也。故君子居必择乡，游必就士，所以防邪僻而近中正也。物类之起，必有所始。荣辱之来，必象其德。肉腐出虫，鱼枯生蠹。怠慢忘身，祸灾乃作。强自取柱，柔自取束。邪秽在身，怨之所构。施薪若一，火就燥也；平地若一，水就湿也。草木畴生，禽兽群焉，物各从其类也。是故质的张而弓矢至焉，林木茂而斧斤至焉，树成荫而众鸟息焉，醯酸而蜹聚焉。故言有召祸也，行有招辱也，君子慎其所立乎！

积土成山，风雨兴焉；积水成渊，蛟龙生焉；积善成德，而神明自得，圣心备焉。故不积跬步，无以至千里；不积小流，无以成江海。骐骥一跃，不能十步；驽马十驾，功在不舍。锲而舍之，朽木不折；锲而不舍，金石可镂。蚓无爪牙之利，筋骨之强，上食埃土，下饮黄泉，用心一也。蟹六跪而二螯，非蛇鳝之穴无可寄托者，用心躁也。是故无冥冥之志者无昭昭之明，无惛惛之事者无赫赫之功。行衢道者不至，事两君者不容。目不能两视而明，耳不能两听而聪。螣蛇无足而飞，梧鼠五技而穷。《诗》曰：「尸鸠在桑，其子七兮。淑人君子，其仪一兮。其仪一兮，心如结兮。」故君子结于一也。

昔者瓠巴鼓瑟而流鱼出听，伯牙鼓琴而六马仰秣。故声无小而不闻，行无隐而不形；玉在山而草木润，渊生珠而崖不枯。为善不积邪，安有不闻者乎？学恶乎始？恶乎终？曰：其数则始乎诵经，终乎读礼；其义则始乎为士，终乎为圣人。真积力久则入，学至乎没而后止也。故学数有终，若其义则不可须臾舍也。为之，人也；舍之，禽兽也。故《书》者，政事之纪也；《诗》者，中声之所止也；《礼》者，法之大分，类之纲纪也。故学至乎《礼》而止矣。夫是之谓道德之极。《礼》之敬文也，《乐》之中和也，《诗》、《书》之博也，《春秋》之微也，在天地之间者毕矣。君子之学也，入乎耳，箸乎心，布乎四体，形乎动静，端而言，蝡而动，一可以为法则。小人之学也，入乎耳，出乎口。口耳之间则四寸耳，曷足以美七尺之躯哉！古之学者为己，今之学者为人。君子之学也，以美其身；小人之学也，以为禽犊。故不问而告谓之傲，问一而告二谓之囋。傲、非也；囋，非也；君子如向矣。学莫便乎近其人。《礼》、《乐》法而不说，《诗》、《书》故而不切，《春秋》约而不速。方其人之习君子之说，则尊以遍矣，周于世矣。故曰学莫便乎近其人。学之经莫速乎好其人，隆礼次之。上不能好其人，下不能隆礼，安特将学杂识志，顺《诗》、《书》而已耳，则末世穷年，不免为陋儒而已。将原先王，本仁义，则礼正其经纬蹊径也。若挈裘领，诎五指而顿之，顺者不可胜数也。不道礼宪，以《诗》、《书》为之，譬之犹以指测河也，以戈舂黍也，以锥餐壶也，不可以得之矣。故隆礼，虽未明，法士也；不隆礼，虽察辩，散儒也。问楛者勿告也，告楛者勿问也，说楛者勿听也，有争气者勿与辩也。故必由其道至，然后接之，非其道则避之。故礼恭而后可与言道之方，辞顺而后可与言道之理，色从而后可与言道之致。故未可与言而言谓之傲，可与言而不言谓之隐，不观气色而言谓之瞽。故君子不傲，不隐，不瞽，谨顺其身。《诗》曰：「匪交匪舒，天子所予。」此之谓也。

百发失一，不足谓善射；千里跬步不至，不足谓善御；伦类不通，仁义不一，不足谓善学。学也者，固学一之也。一出焉，一入焉，涂巷之人也。其善者少，不善者多，桀、纣、盗跖也。全之尽之，然后学者也。君子知夫不全不粹之不足以为美也，故诵数以贯之，思索以通之，为其人以处之，除其害者以持养之，使目非是无欲见也，使耳非是无欲闻也，使口非是无欲言也，使心非是无欲虑也。及至其致好之也，目好之五色，耳好之五声，口好之五味，心利之有天下。是故权利不能倾也，群众不能移也，天下不能荡也。生乎由是，死乎由是，夫是之谓德操。德操然后能定，能定然后能应，能定能应，夫是之谓成人。天见其明，地见其光，君子贵其全也。

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English translation by Claude (an AI)

The gentleman says: learning must never stop. Blue dye is taken from the indigo plant, yet it is bluer than the plant. Ice is made from water, yet it is colder than water. Wood as straight as a plumb line can be steamed and bent into a wheel, its curve as true as a compass, and even when it has dried in the sun it will not straighten again: the bending has made it so. So wood that meets the carpenter's line becomes straight, and metal put to the whetstone becomes sharp. When the gentleman studies widely and every day examines himself, his understanding becomes clear and his conduct is without fault. So if you do not climb a high mountain, you do not know how high the sky is. If you do not look down into a deep gorge, you do not know how thick the earth is. If you do not hear the words left by the former kings, you do not know how great learning is. Children born among the Gan, the Yue, the Yi and the Mo cry with the same voice at birth, yet grow up with different customs: teaching has made them so. The Book of Songs says: "Ah, you gentlemen, do not always rest at ease. Be quietly diligent in your place, and love what is upright. The spirits will hear of it and grant you great blessings." There is no spirit greater than being transformed by the Way, and no blessing more lasting than freedom from misfortune. I once spent a whole day thinking, but it was not as good as a moment of learning. I once stood on tiptoe to look into the distance, but it was not as good as the wide view from a high place. Wave your arm from a height: your arm is no longer, yet you are seen from far away. Shout with the wind behind you: your voice is no louder, yet you are heard clearly. Those who borrow a carriage and horses have not made their own feet faster, yet they travel a thousand miles. Those who borrow a boat and oars have not learned to swim, yet they cross great rivers. The gentleman is no different from others at birth; he is simply good at making use of things. In the south there is a bird called the meng dove. It makes a nest of feathers woven together with hair and ties it to the tassels of the reeds. When the wind comes, the reeds snap, the eggs break and the young die. It is not that the nest was badly made; it is what it was tied to. In the west there is a tree called the shegan. Its stem is only four inches long, but it grows on top of a high mountain and looks down into an abyss a hundred fathoms deep. It is not that the stem is long; it is where it stands. Fleabane growing among hemp stands straight without being propped. The root of the orchid is fragrant angelica, but steep it in foul water, and the gentleman will not come near it and the common people will not wear it. It is not that its substance is not fine; it is what it has been steeped in. So the gentleman takes care where he lives and goes among scholars when he travels, to guard against what is crooked and to draw near to what is centred and true. Every kind of thing that arises has a beginning. The honour or disgrace that comes to someone reflects his virtue. Rotten meat breeds maggots; dried fish breeds worms. Grow careless and forget yourself, and disaster follows. What is strong will be used as a pillar; what is soft will be used for binding: each brings it on itself. Wickedness in a person is what resentment gathers around. Spread out kindling evenly, and the fire will go to the driest; level the ground evenly, and the water will go to the dampest. Plants grow with their kind, birds and beasts gather in flocks and herds: each thing follows its own kind. So when the target is set up, the arrows come; when the forest grows thick, the axes come; when a tree spreads its shade, the birds come to rest; when vinegar turns sour, the gnats gather. So words may invite misfortune and actions may invite disgrace. The gentleman takes care where he stands.

Pile up earth into a mountain, and wind and rain will rise from it. Pile up water into a deep pool, and dragons will be born in it. Pile up goodness into virtue, and a godlike clarity will come of itself, and the mind of the sage will be complete. So without piling up single steps, there is no way to reach a thousand miles. Without piling up little streams, there is no way to make a river or a sea. A fine horse cannot cover ten paces in a single leap, but a worn-out nag can go far in ten days; the achievement lies in not giving up. Carve and then stop, and you cannot even cut through rotten wood. Carve and never stop, and you can engrave metal and stone. The earthworm has no sharp claws or teeth, no strong muscles or bones, yet above it eats the dust and below it drinks from the springs: it uses its mind on one thing. The crab has six legs and two pincers, yet without the hole of a snake or an eel it has nowhere to shelter: its mind is restless. So without a deep and silent purpose there is no brilliant understanding, and without dedicated and quiet work there is no shining achievement. One who walks a forked road never arrives; one who serves two lords is accepted by neither. The eye cannot look at two things and see clearly; the ear cannot listen to two things and hear clearly. The flying serpent has no feet and yet it flies; the flying squirrel has five skills and yet it is stuck. The Book of Songs says: "The cuckoo is in the mulberry, and its young are seven. The good person, the gentleman, is constant in his ways. Constant in his ways, his heart is as if bound fast." So the gentleman binds himself to one thing.

Long ago, when Hu Ba played the zither, the fish in the stream came up to listen; when Bo Ya played the qin, the six horses of the chariot looked up from their fodder. So no sound is too small to be heard, and no conduct too hidden to show. When there is jade in the mountain, its plants and trees are lush; when the pool produces pearls, its banks never dry. If you do good and keep piling it up, how could it go unheard? Where does learning begin and where does it end? I say: as a course of study, it begins with reciting the classics and ends with reading the rites; in its meaning, it begins with becoming a scholar and ends with becoming a sage. Pile it up truly and work at it long, and you will enter into it. Learning goes on until death, and only then does it stop. So the course of study has an end, but its meaning cannot be set aside even for a moment. To do it is to be human; to abandon it is to be a beast. So the Documents are the record of government; the Songs are where the music of the centre comes to rest; the Rites are the great divisions of the law and the guiding threads of every category. So learning reaches the Rites and stops there. This is called the summit of the Way and of virtue. The reverence and refinement of the Rites, the balance and harmony of Music, the breadth of the Songs and the Documents, the subtlety of the Spring and Autumn Annals: everything between heaven and earth is there. The learning of the gentleman enters through the ear, is fixed in the heart, spreads through the four limbs and shows itself in movement and rest. In his slightest word and smallest movement, everything about him can serve as a model. The learning of the small man enters through the ear and comes out of the mouth. Between the mouth and the ear there are only four inches. How could that be enough to make a whole person of seven feet beautiful? In ancient times people learned for their own sake; nowadays people learn for the sake of others. The gentleman learns in order to make himself beautiful; the small man learns to make a present of it, like a gift of birds or calves. So to tell someone what they have not asked is called being presumptuous, and to tell them two things when they asked about one is called chattering. Presumption is wrong; chattering is wrong. The gentleman is like an echo. In learning, nothing is better than to be close to the right person. The Rites and Music give models but do not explain; the Songs and Documents tell of old times but are not close to us; the Spring and Autumn Annals are terse and not quickly grasped. But if you follow a teacher in learning the explanations of the gentleman, you will be honoured, learn widely and understand the world. So it is said: in learning, nothing is better than to be close to the right person. Of the paths of learning, none is quicker than to love the right person, and next to that is to honour the rites. If you can neither love the right person nor honour the rites, but only study a jumble of facts and follow the Songs and Documents, then to the end of your days you will be nothing but a narrow pedant. If you want to trace things back to the former kings and to root yourself in humaneness and right, then the rites are the warp and weft and the paths that lead there. It is like lifting a fur coat by the collar: bend your fingers and give it a shake, and all the hairs fall into place. Without the guidance of the rites, to go only by the Songs and Documents is like measuring a river with your finger, pounding millet with a spear, or eating from a pot with an awl: it cannot be done. So one who honours the rites, even without full understanding, is a scholar of principle; one who does not honour the rites, however sharp and clever, is a scattered pedant. Do not answer someone who asks about something crooked; do not ask someone who speaks of something crooked; do not listen to someone who argues for something crooked; do not debate with someone who is spoiling for a quarrel. Only when people come by the proper way should you meet with them; if they do not come by the proper way, avoid them. So only when people are courteous can you speak with them about the direction of the Way; only when their words are agreeable can you speak with them about the principles of the Way; only when their faces show they are willing can you speak with them about the furthest reaches of the Way. To speak to someone who is not ready is called presumption; not to speak to someone who is ready is called concealment; to speak without watching the other's face is called blindness. So the gentleman is not presumptuous, not secretive and not blind, but careful to fit himself to each person. The Book of Songs says: "Neither too familiar nor too slow: such are those the Son of Heaven favours." This is what it means.

Someone who misses one shot in a hundred is not called a good archer. Someone who falls short by a single step in a thousand miles is not called a good driver. Someone who does not connect things of the same kind, and is not single-minded in humaneness and right, is not called good at learning. Learning means learning to be single-minded. To go out by one way and come in by another is to be a man of the streets and alleys. Those with little good in them and much that is not good are the likes of Jie, Zhou and Robber Zhi. Only when you have made it whole and complete are you truly a learner. The gentleman knows that what is not whole and not pure is not enough to be beautiful. So he recites and counts to string it together, thinks and searches to understand it, lives like those who embody it, and removes what harms it so as to keep and nourish it. He makes his eyes not want to see what is not this, his ears not want to hear what is not this, his mouth not want to say what is not this, his heart not want to think what is not this. And when he comes to love it fully, his eyes love it more than the five colours, his ears love it more than the five notes, his mouth loves it more than the five flavours, his heart finds it more profitable than possessing the world. Then power and profit cannot sway him, the crowd cannot move him, the world cannot shake him. He lives by it and dies by it. This is called constancy in virtue. With constancy in virtue one can be steady, and being steady one can respond. One who is steady and can respond is called a complete person. Heaven shows its brightness, earth shows its light, and the gentleman values his completeness.