三字经

三字经

人之初， At the beginning of life,

性本善。 nature is good.

性相近， Basically, nature is nearly all the same in the beginning.

习相远。 But it depends on how the way you do it.

苟不教， If teacher do not teach them.

性乃迁。 nature will leave you.

教之道， During the way of teach it,

贵以专。 need massed learning something you want to learn.

昔孟母， Previously, a great mother named Mrs. Mon

择邻处。 chose her neighbour to avoid bad nature influence.

子不学， Her son didn't study,

断机杼。 She broke her loom.

窦燕山， A famous person called Dou,

有义方。 has his own good method.

教五子， he taught his five sons.

名俱扬。 and they all raised the family reputation

养不教， If just feed without teaching.

父之过。 it is all the father’s fault.

教不严， If teach them but not severity.

师之惰。 it is must be a laziness teacher.

子不学， If a child refuse to learn nature,

非所宜。 that should be not good for the child .

幼不学， If a child doesn't learn something in childhood,

老何为。 He will lose his ability when aged.

玉不琢， if jade is not polished,

不成器。 it cannot become a thing of use.

人不学， People who don’t learn something,

不知义。 their life will become meaningless.