弟

子

规

，

圣

人

训

di

zi

gui

sheng

ren

xun

弟弟
年轻的学子

子女

规矩、标准

品德特优的人在此指孔子

训示、教训

young students, young children

rules or standards

those of superior character,
here referring to Confucius

teachings or instructions

这套为人子弟的规矩，是根据古代圣人的遗言编成的。
The rules for being a student are instructions given by sages.

什么叫规矩？规是画圆用的圆规，矩是画直线用的尺，没有圆规和尺做为工具，也就画不好直线，更画不成圆。所以凡是可以用来做依据和标准的，都叫规矩。这套规矩是依据什么来的呢？是中国古代的孔圣人的理论。在《论语．学而》篇的原文是这样的：

This set of rules for young people was compiled from the instructions given by the ancient sages. What is meant by rules (gui ju)? Gui is a compass used for drawing circles, ju is a ruler used for drawing lines. Without the tools of a compass and a ruler, it is not possible to draw a straight line or a perfectly round circle. Therefore, anything that can serve as a basis or a standard can be called a rule (gui ju). What is this set of rules based upon? It is based upon the teachings of the ancient Chinese sage, Confucius. Book One Xue Er of the Confucian Analects says:

子曰：“弟子入则孝，出则弟，谨而信，泛爱众，而亲仁。行有余力，则以学文。”

The Master said, "A youth, when at home, should be filial, and abroad, respectful to his elders. He should be earnest and truthful. He should be loving towards all, and draw near to those who are humane. When he has time and opportunity, after the performance of these things, he should employ them in the study of the six arts ."

我们当在下文中一并解释。圣人，不但是学问很好就够了，品德尤其重要。人若是聪明有学问，却没有道德，那么他的聪明和学问，就成了造恶的工具，如虎添翼。好像那老虎，本来就已够凶猛的了，再添上翅膀会飞了，岂不是更能来去自如，为所欲为了吗？所以好的道德是远比丰富的学识、技能更要紧的，这也就是为什么在这个开宗明义章，要把道德放在学识和技术之前。因为圣人教化人，也是希望人人都能成为圣人，成为有品德的人。

This quote will be explained later on. A sage (sheng ren) not only has great learning, but he also has a lofty character. If a person is intelligent and learned but lacks virtue, then his intelligence and learning become tools for committing evil; he would be like a tiger with wings. A tiger is already fearsome to begin with, but if it has wings and is able to fly, then it will be able to fly freely and do whatever it wants. Therefore, being virtuous is far more important than having great scholarship and skills. That is why, in the introductory chapter, it is necessary to place virtue and morality before scholarship and skills. When sages teach and transform people, they also hope that each person can become a sage and a virtuous person. 

所谓：“众生皆有佛性，皆堪作佛”、“人皆可以为尧舜”，佛是大智慧的人所成的，而这个大智慧是众生本具的，只是自己不知道，被无明障蔽了；现在我们只要能依教奉行，按照佛智慧的教导，就能够开发本有的智慧，也变得像佛一样有智慧，那就是成佛了！而尧和舜，是古代两个有名的圣王，仁慈又孝顺，我们只要按照他们的标准去学习，去实行，我们也可以和他们一样有道德，这不就是成了圣人了吗？所以孔子把这一套道德的标准流传下来。好让我们根据它来学习。

There is a saying in Buddhism: "All living beings have the Buddha-nature and can become Buddhas." There is another saying in Chinese: "All men can become like Yao and Shun." The Buddha was a person of great wisdom who realized Buddhahood. This great wisdom is inherent in all living beings, but we don't realize this because we are covered by ignorance. If we can put the Buddha's teachings of wisdom into practice now, we will develop our inherent wisdom, and when that wisdom becomes the same as the Buddha's wisdom, we will have realized Buddhahood. Yao and Shun were two famous sage-kings in ancient China who were known for being humane, kind, and filial. If we could learn from them and follow their standards, we can also become as virtuous as they were--and won't that make us sages as well? And so Confucius handed down the standards of virtue, giving us the chance to learn from them.

孔子又是谁呢？在中国他可真是无人不知、无人不晓的圣人，也是一个最伟大的教育家。他出身贫困．父亲又早逝，自小跟着母亲做工，因此也学会了很多技能。他又十分好学，不管是生活上的或书本上的知识，他都十分勤勉地去学习实行，所以才能成就他伟大的人格，和无所不知、无所不能的丰富学识和技术。

Who was Confucius? He was a sage whom everyone in China knows; he was also the greatest educator. Since he was born in a poor family and his father died when he was very young, he always helped his mother with the chores and learned various skills in the process. Moreover, Confucius pursued knowledge with great diligence. Whether it was practical knowledge from daily life or knowledge found in books, he would actively study and seek to practice what he learned. In this way he developed his extraordinary character and attained the wealth of knowledge and skills that enabled him to accomplish and be familiar with just about everything.

他又不单自己好就好了，还愿意成就别人，所以他收了很多的学生，“有教无类”，一点也不去分别学生们的家庭背景、本身智力或能力，凡是愿意来学习的，只要按照礼节，准备一个小小的见师礼．他没有不收的。

Confucius was not only concerned with self-cultivation, he also wished to help others cultivate their character. That was why he accepted a great many students based on the principle that "in education there should be no distinctions of class." He never indulged in the slightest discrimination based on the backgrounds, intelligence, or abilities of his students. Anyone who wished to study with him, as long as he prepared a token gift for the teacher according lo etiquette, would be accepted.

他教化学生是“因材施教”，按照每个人根性的利钝，心量的大小及境遇的不同，而做深入浅出的不同教导；“诲人不倦”，从来也不感到厌倦、不耐烦，也不知道要休息。所以他的学生成材的很多，代代传衍下来，他的儒家思想，就成为中国文明的主流，因此后代的中国人就尊称他为“至圣先师”，说他是过去最伟大，最有品德的一位老师。

He taught students according to their dispositions. Based on the sharpness of their faculties and the measure of their minds, as well as on their various backgrounds and situations, he would give them individualized teachings that were easy to understand but contained deep meaning. He taught without weariness. Confucius never felt tired, never became impatient, and never thought about taking a rest. Therefore, many of his students became capable and productive people, and the Confucian school of thought has been handed down through the generations, becoming the mainstream of Chinese civilization. Later generations have honored Confucius as "the greatest sage and teacher," meaning that he was the greatest and most virtuous teacher of the past. 

我们现在能读到《弟子规》，接受他的这种教育思想，也等于是他的学生一样的。所以我们要珍惜这种的机缘，好好地向这位老师学习怎么样成为一个圣人；而首先，我们要学习怎么样来锻炼自己的品德，充实自己的学识和技能。所以这一章叫“开宗明义”章，就是把所要强调的宗旨提示出来，把所需明白的道理讲明了它。

Now we have the chance to study The Rules for Being a Student and to absorb his educational ideals--this is equivalent to being students of Confucius. Therefore, we should cherish this opportunity to learn from him how to become a sage. First of all, we should learn how to develop our virtue and how to enrich our knowledge and skills. That is why the first chapter is called "Revealing the Principle and Explaining the Meaning"; it brings out the principle that we need to emphasize and explains the reason why we need to understand it.