倉頡作書，教後嗣。幼子承詔，謹慎敬戒。勉力諷誦，晝夜勿置。苟務成史，計會辯治。超等軼事，出尤別異。初雖勞苦，卒必有憙。愨願忠信，微密瘱㥶。儇侫齊疾，

​

Cangjie[1] invented writing,
And taught his descendants;

That they should receive their instructions
And pay careful attention
Studiously reviewing the texts,
Not ceasing from dawn until dusk.
And by this dedication attaining public office,
Reasoning tactically and strategically,
Surpassing all peers, excelling in affairs,
Distinguished through inherent superiority.
Arduous though the first steps may be,
Long-held desires are inevitably realised.
Honest and willing, loyal and reliable[2],
Subtle and discreet, sublimely profound[3].
Sharp-tongued and skillful,

​

獨中上意。臨官使眾，恭肅畏事。終身毋怠，安樂貴富。瞻彼卑賤，固䌛無能。訓導至矣，諸產皆備。人名元𡢘，師用為佴。百蟲草木，兵甲器械。禽獸虎兕，雜物奇怪。

​

Alone in perfect hierarchical alignment,
Overseeing officials and mobilising the populace,
Managing affairs with dignified respect.
Through lifelong devotion to duty,
attaining tranquility, joy and prosperity.
Looked up to by inferiors -
Building an entourage of the less capable.
You have received your orders!
All will flourish and everything provide.
Popular opinion is what births renown
But scholarship is the midwife[4].
The hundred varieties of insects, plants and trees,
Arms and armour, tools and devices,
Wild game and savage beasts,
Curiosities of all descriptions.

​

赏禄贤知，赐予分贷。庄犯耆强，朋友过刻。 高嚣平夷，宽惠善志。桀纣迷惑，宗幽不识。㝡谷肄宜，益就获得。𡪛勦向尚 ，冯奕青北。系孙襃俗，貇朁吉忌。瘛𤵸癰痤，

​

​If you compensate moralists and savants,
Bestowing gifts and allocating grants,
The criminally inclined will extort you
And friends will impose.
As overwheening arrogance meets its destruction
So does expansive generosity of spirit[5].
Jie[6] and Zhou[7] both went astray -
But King You[8] learnt nothing from this. .
Strive simply to maximise harvests[9],
And earn thus the benefits.
Guests flocked to receive
Great Qingbei's hospitality[10].
Their descendants honoured its customs.
Substituting them for their own.
Pains and sickness, warts and welts.

​

疢痛遬欬。毒药医工，抑按启久。婴但捾援，何竭负戴。谿谷阪险，丘陵故旧。长缓肆延，涣奂若思。勇猛刚毅，便疌巧亟。景桓昭穆，丰盈爨炽。嬛䓘焆黑，𡟰娒款饵。

​

Aches and fever and coughing,
Poisons and drugs are alike the doctor's affair,
Here to reduce, there to increase.
Until a child can hold your hand
Can you carry it on your back?
Through perilous passes
Over ancient peaks.
Long and slow
Or swift as thought.
Brave and impetuous
Or stolidly resolute.
Apt, skillful and quick.
[Incomprehensible]
The pot sizzles and boils over.
Glowing like a straw fire,
The most attractive bait.

​

戏丛奢掩，颠愿重该。悉起臣仆，发传约载。趣遽观朢，行步驾服。逋逃隐匿，往来眄睐。汉兼天下，海内并厕。胡无噍类，菹醢离异。戎翟给賨，百越贡织。饬端脩法，

​

Skillful manoeuvring[11]

[Incomprehensible]

Summoning servants,

Dispatching notices.

Sending forth spies,

To hurry forth and make reports.

Remaining in hiding

As they come and go, making observations.

Han has annexed All-Under-Heaven[12],

Amalgamating all within the four seas.

No Hu[13] were left alive,

Torn to pieces or scattered to the wind.

The Rong[14] and the Zhai[15]

Sent cloth by way of tribute

And the Baiyue[16] presented brocades.

The laws were rectified and embellished,

​

變大製裁。男女蕃殖，六畜遂字。顫䚦觭贏，骫奊左右。慠悍驕倨，誅罰耐。丹勝誤亂，圄奪侵弒。胡貉離絕，塚槨棺柩。巴蜀筡竹，筐篋籢笥。廚宰犓豢，甘酸羹胾。

​

And sanctions strangthened.

Men and women procreated

And the six types of livestock[17] multiplied.

All heads bowed

And their necks bent to the yoke.

The arrogant and disrespectful

Were subject to due punishment[18]

In the victorious combat against disorder

Robbery, murder and treason.

The Hu and the Mo[19] were kept at bay[20],

And their lands filled with tombs.

The bamboos of Ba[21] and Shu[22] were cut down,

To make books and boxes and utensils.

And livestock raised for the imperial kitchens

To make sweet and sour stews.

​

稻粱黍糜，□麥飯食。 □□□□，癤□□麮。秫釀釋酨，馱徒好美。冠帶環佩，□□□□。 □□□□，進禦狎習。嬖愛邇□，□□□□。 □□□□，□□□□。 □□□□，

​

An over-abundance of rice and millet,

[missing character] and wheat to eat.

[Missing characters]

[Incomprehensible/missing characters] rice porridge.

Millet wine, aged on the lees,

Bearing in barrels of sweet perfection.

Jade pendants on hat and belt,

[Missing characters]

[Missing characters]

Entering the court and advancing therein,

Attaining privileged familiarity,

Favoured and intimate

[Missing characters]

[Missing characters]

[Missing characters]

[Missing characters]

​

盩底□更。犫昚愧䣂，□陝𨙶𨝹，券□䧢阨，加儒邯竉鄒，郡邊𪵹濮，崩予落薗，汫□□□亙，切諂，崩諦噦□鬼魅□畤，□祖靈□，裔順憖說。諏□□□。

​

Fractional distillation [missing character],

[Incomprehensible]

[Missing character], Shan[23], Pei[24] and Zou[25]

[Missing character] crossing dangerous passes.

[Missing character], Han[26], Long[27] and Yu[28],

Made commanderies of [missing character] Qiong[29] and Pu[30]

They fell and fell into line.

Rivers and streams [missing character]

[Incomprehensible]

Seized [missing characters]

[Missing character][31]

[Incomprehensible] rowdy,

Ghosts and [missing character] shrines,

[Missing character] ancestral spirits [missing character],

Descendants [incomprehensible]

[Incomprehensible] [missing characters].

​

顓頊祝融，招搖奮光。䫞豫録恢，均隋愷鑲。鄢鄧析酈，宛鄂鄂𨟚。閱通灶畢，騰先登慶。陳蔡宋衛䘙，吳邗許莊。建武牴觸，軍役嘉臧。貿易賣販，市旅賈商。䚡展賁達，

​

Zhuanxu[32] and Zhurong[33]

Blazing brighter and soaring higher,

[Incomprehensible]

[Incomprehensible]

[Incomprehensible][34]

[Incomprehensible]

By means of the trap and the fire,

Galloping ahead and attaining high office.

Chen[35], Cai[36], Song[37] and Wey[38],

Wu[39], Han[40] and Xu[41] were mere domains.

They built up the army and joined the fray,

The army piling up resplendent plunder,

For traders to buy and sell,

Traveling to the markets to haggle.

Extending their horns and pushing through,

​

遊敖周章。黚黶黯黮，𪑲黝黭䵮。 𪑙黤赫赧，儵赤白黃。殣棄臞瘦，兒孺悍殤。恐懼懷歸，趨走病狂。疵疕禿瘻，齮齕痍傷。毆伐疻痏，䏐胅蒙盲。執囚束縛，論訊既詳。

​

Continuously on the move:

Sleek sweet-water black,

Deep, warm indigo black,

Glowing abyssal black...

Blue, red, white and yellow:

Starving and exiled,

Their children killed,

Terror descends upon their ancestral villages

And they flee, mad with fear.

Battered and bruised,

Bitten and wounded,

Scarred and beaten,

Stabbed and blinded.

The prisoners were bound,

And detailed statements taken[42].

​

卜筮兆佔，宕在社場。寇賊盜殺，捕獄問諒。室宇邑裡，縣鄙封彊。徑路衝術，街巷垣蘠。開閉門閭，闕廷廟郎。殿層屋內，窻牖戶房。桴楣榱㮰，柱枅橋。屏溷廬廡，

​

The turtle-shell[43] and yarrow-stick[44] omens were observed,

And the news spread among the provinces.

Thieves, bandits and murderers

Were arrested, imprisoned and interrogated.

Households and townships,

Commanderies and marches were placed under military command.

Paths and highways,

Avenues and alleys were paved.

They opened the closed doors and gates[45]

Of the towers, palace and temples.

In the audience halls and inner rooms,

Onto casements, shutters and doors.

Beams and lintels, rafters and eaves,

Pillars and crossbeams,

Toilets and sheds,

​

亭庉陛堂。庫府廥廏，囷窖𪪨倉。桶㮣參鬥，升半實當。絫量錘銖，銓兩鈞衡。耳目鼻口，面頰頟顙。頭頤𩔞，肩臂股胻。肝肺心腎，脾胃腹腸。骨體牙齒，手足蹇□。

​

Pavilions, residences and terraces,

Warehouses, granaries and cattle sheds, 

Silos, cellars and barns.

They tested the barrels and scoops,

Increasing by half again to the standard volume;

The Shu[46] weights, the chui[47] and the zhu[48],

They assessed the liang[49] and jun[50] weights.

Ears, eyes, noses and mouths,

Faces, cheeks and forehead,

Heads, gums, and jawbones.

Shoulders, arms, legs and bellies,

Livers, lungs, hearts and kidneys,

Spleens, stomachs and guts,

Bones and teeth,

Hands feet all failing [missing character].

​

族人姊妹，親戚兄弟。罷病悲哀，號哭死喪。遣□心所，雞豚祖羊。貕□□𧴍，□江羖□。 □□□□，□□□□。酋甕酎醇，脯肉酒漿。師□□□，□□□㒇。 □□□□，

​​

​Sisters of the same clan,

Brothers of the same parents,

Worn down by grief

Wailing for the dead.

Sending off [missing character] their loved ones,

With sacrifices of chickens, pigs and goats.

Piglets [missing characters] and boars,

[Missing character] black ram [missing character].

[Missing characters]

[Missing characters]

Urns of vintage triple-distilled spirits,

With meats marinated in the run-off.

Direct [missing characters]

{Missing characters]

[Missing characters] ​attention.

[Missing characters]

​

□豆飴餳。鐘磬音聲，藾瑟琴簧。銀錫玖㺶，貝琮□□。璧碧圭玉，璣珠瑗璜。茵蓐席藉，槓機桯牀。韝韠□□，□□衣裳。姕妓絭蕡，□□茝薌。巾幭裹虞，衷㬺□□。

​

[Missing character] red bean syrup.

The sounds of the bells and the qing[51]

The whispering se[52], the zither and the flute.

Silver, tin and black jade,

Shells, congs[53], [missing characters].

Turquoise jade disks and tablets,

Pearls, rings and pendants.

Mats and cushions,

​The frames of tables and beds[54].

Sleeves and sash [missing characters],

[Missing characters] clothes.

Dancing girls tie back their flowing sleeves,

[Missing characters] scent of angelica.

Exquisitely wreathed in silk sheets

And chemise [missing characters].

​

□□□□，□□□□。□□□□，□□□□。□□□□，□□□□。□輪□□，□□□□。□□□□，□□□□。□□贏□，𤳊𤲙𢁼箱。松柏橎棫，桐梓杜楊。鬱棣桃李，

​​

[Missing characters],

[Missing characters] .

[Missing characters] ,

[Missing characters] .

[Missing characters] ,

[Missing characters] .

[Missing characters] wheel [missing characters],

[Missing characters] .

[Missing characters] ,

[Missing characters] .

[Missing characters] gain [missing character],

Bamboo baskets and shrouded boxes.

Trimmed pine, cypress and prinsepia.

Paulownia, catalpa, wild pear and poplar,

Dense kerria, peach and plum trees,

​

棗杏榆桑。雚葦菅𦳋，莞蒲藺蔣。端末根本，榮葉莠英。麋鹿熊罷，犀犛豺狼。貙貙麈豻，麢□□麠。䳧鴒，鳩鴞鴦。陂池溝洫，淵泉堤防。江漢澮汾，河涊漳。

​

Jujube, apricot, elm and mulberry,

Dogbane and reeds, cogongrass and woolgrass,

Skimmia, cattails, rushes and wild rice,

From the roots to the flourishing green leaves.

Elk, deer, black and brown bears,

Rhinoceros, yaks, dholes and wolves,

Leopards, milu and wild dogs[55],

Mountain goats [missing characters] and sambar.

Hawks and wagtails,

Doves, owls and ducks[56].

Ponds, ditches and channels,

Pools, springs, embankments and dams,

The Yangtze, the Han[57], the Hui[58] and the Fen[59],

The Yellow River, the Nian[60] and the Zhang[61].

​​

​伊雒涇渭，維楫船方。雲雨霣零，霧露雪霜。朔時日月，星晨紀綱。冬寒夏暑，玄氣陰陽。杲旭宿尾，奎婁軔亢。弘競翦㞒，霸暨傅庚。華巒岑崩，隗阮鶴坑。阿尉馺瑣，

​

The Yi[62], the Luo[63], the Jing[64], and the Wei[65],

Paddling the interconnected streams,

Through clouds and falling rain,

Fog and mist, snow and frost,

From dawn on the first day,

The morning star in the lead,

Through the cold of winter and the heat of summer,

Impelled by the mysterious force of yin and yang.

The glow of the rising sun as the night tails away,

The constellations Kui[66] and Luo[67], Ren[68] and Kang[69].

[Incomprehensible]

The freshly waxing moon and summer solstice sunrise.

Until the Mount Hua[70] range falls

And the Kui Pass[71] and the He[72].

[Incomprehensible].

​

漆滷氐羌。贅拾挾鋊，鑄冶鎔鑲。顗視□豎，偃鼂運糧。攻穿簷魯，壘鄣隊亭。鹹地斥境，盡薄四荒。酆鎬林禁，驅馳跌踼。貳曲順辭，緒業未央。

​​

The Di[73] and the Qiang[74] in the far west.

Gingerly holding the tongs,

To pour the molten metal into the mold.

[Incomprehensible] [missing character] [incomprehensible],

[Incomprehensible],

[Incomprehensible]

Fortifying the border towns and garrisoning the outposts,

Enlarging the salt pans

Expanding into the wastelands in all directions.

Fenghao[75] became a hunting preserve,

Galloping on headlong.

​These two hymns,

Are but the start of a work yet to be completed.

​​​​

[1] This was an early Chinese primer/dictionary, named after Cangjie, the legendary inventor of writing, giving example usages of standard characters literate citizens would be expected to know and use. It was accompanied by two other volumes, the Explanation of Difficult Words (爰歷篇) by Zhao Gao and the Extensive Knowledge of Words (博學篇) by Hongmu Jing. Until recently much of the work had been lost, only being rediscovered among recently unearthed Han dynasty texts. However, the text seems to have existed in multiple versions with differing annotations, so a canonical text has yet to be established. Here we follow this version, assembled from various published editions.
[2] 愨願 should possibly be read as 愨愿, implying 愿愨, as in Xunzi. However, Wang Ning suggests that 愨 should mean 願 and 忠 mean 信, thus meaning 謹誠; or 馬愨愿順, where 愨 is glossed as “unaffected and diligent”.
[3] Wang Ning suggests 微密 implies 深邃 and 瘱㥶 implies 深邃 or 深實. Others have suggested reading 微 as 微妙; 密 as 細密; 瘱 as 深邃; and 㥶 as 誠實.
[4] This is a best-guess interpretation.
[5] The meaning of this sentence is disputed.
[6] King Jie of Xia (c. 1728–1675 BCE) was the tyrannical last ruler of the Xia dynasty, defeated by Tang of Shang at the battle of Mingtiao.
[7] King Zhou of Shang (1075–1046 BCE) was the tyrannical last ruler of the Shang dynasty, defeated by King Wu of Zhou at the battle of Muye.
[8] King You of Zhou, whose unwise indulgence of favourites and humiliation of his subordinates almost led to the collapse of the dynasty.
[9] Zhang Cunliang suggests reading 㝡 as 聚 and 肄 as 余: "Gather (harvest) the grain and [use] the surplus appropriately."
[10] Qingbei refers to an ancient tribe somewhere in the east. The implication here may be that this was one of the cradles of Chinese civilisation. It may possibly also be a reference to Yue being attacked by Wu. Others suggest: "Guests toil in the face of venerable men, (when) the reliance is great, the trust will be betrayed." Reading 馮奕青北 here as 憑大信背. Here 賓勦 implies 服巢 and hence 服從成家, 馮奕 implies 馮夷 or 扶掖, with 盛大青北 implying 脊背 or 青丘
[11] Following this interpretation: http://www.fdgwz.org.cn/forum/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=7779
[12] This text seems to have been updated continuously over time. Obviously this part does not date to Li Si's era.
[13] Northern nomadic tribes. In fact they were a continued source of trouble for the Han dynasty.
[14] Non-Huaxia people from the west.
[15] Another non-Huaxia people from Northern China.
[16] Southeastern, probably Austronesian, peoples.
[17] Horses, cows, sheep, dogs, chickens and pigs.
[18] This section only has three characters, unlike the others which have four, suggesting that one may be missing.
[19] Another non-Huaxia northern group.
[20] More evidence of multiple versions of the text - earlier in the composite the Hu were declared to have been wiped out.
[21] A non-Huaxia state in modern Sichuan assimilated by Qin in the late fourth century BCE.
[22] Another non-Huaxia state in modern Sichuan assimilated by Qin in the late fourth century BCE.
[23] Shaanxi.
[24] An area in Anhui.
[25] A place name, location unknown.
[26] Handan in modern Hebei.
[27] It is not clear where this was.
[28] This may refer to areas in Henan or Shandong.
[29] A place in either Sichuan or Shandong.
[30] Probably a place in Shandong.
[31] This would imply that there are five rather than four characters in this section, which could indicate an error somewhere.
[32] Zhuanxu (traditional dates sometime in the third millennium BC) was supposedly a grandson of the Yellow Emperor and ruled in his own right after the latter's death.
[33] Zhurong was Zhuanxu's son, supposedly an ancestor of the Qin and Chu ruling families.
[34] This seems, on the face of it, to contain a reference to Deng Xi, an early legalist/school of names thinker, however the name is impossible to parse within the context given, which consists of two place names that are - as far as we know - unrelated to Xi. For this reason it is hard to conclude that this specific individual is indicated here. Possibly he himself was named for an idiom now lost.

[35] Chen state existed from c. 1045-479 BCE in modern Henan.

[36] Cai state existed from the early Zhou dynasty to the sixth century BCE in modern Henan.

[37] Song state existed from 1046-286 BCE in modern Henan.

[38] This seems simply to be two variants of the character 衛. The rulers of Wey progressively renounced their titles, but the state was not officially annexed until just before the demise of the Qin empire.

[39] Wu state began its existence external to the Zhou feudal system in the 12th century BCE. It was wiped out by the state of Yue in 473 BCE.

[40] This refers to a small state in Jiangsu annexed by Wu in 486 BCE, not the much larger 韓 Han state.

[41] Xu began its existence as a non-Huaxia confederation, gradually being absorbed into the Zhou system before being annexed by Wu in 512 BCE.
[42] This seems like it could be a Han dynasty description of the Qin conquest.
[43] Oracle bone divination.
[44] Yijing divination.
[45] A metaphor for secure rule.
[46] A shu was 1/10th of a zhu (see below).
[47] A chui was eight zhu (see below).
[48] A zhu was 1/46,080th of a tael.
[49] A liang was one tael.
[50] A jun was 30 jin (pounds).
[51] A form of ancient lithophone.
[52] Like a modern zither but with more strings.
[53] A cong is a jade object of a type alread ancient by Li Si's time, purpose unknown, consisting of a rectangular block with a circular hole drilled through.
[54] This is a best-guess interpretation.
[55] This species is now extinct. Apparently they were fox-like, with black muzzles.
[56] This is a two-character followed by a three-character line, so there may be some missing characters.
[57] The Han River flows through Hubei and Shaanxi into the Yangtze.
[58] There are Hui Rivers, but this probably refers to the one in Shanxi.
[59] The Fen River flows through Shanxi into the Yellow River.
[60] It is not clear where this river was.
[61] The Zhang River flows through Hebei into the Wei.
[62] The Yi River flows through Hebei into the Luo.
[63] The Luo River flows through Shanxi and Hebei into the Yellow River.
[64] The Jing River flows through Gansu and Shaanxi into the Wei River.
[65] The Wei is the largest tributary of the Yellow River and flows through Gansu and Shaanxi.
[66] The first of the western "white tiger" constellations.
[67] The second of the western "white tiger" constellations.
[68] 軔 is mentioned in the Li Sao as being in the constellation of Tianjin, however given the context one would expect to find 角 (the first of the eastern "blue dragon" constellations) here.
[69] The second of the eastern "blue dragon" constellations.
[70] Mount Hua marked the traditional eastern border of Qin.
[71] Mount Wei was a celebrated mountain in modern Henan.
[72] This is best-guess interpretation.
[73] A northwestern non-Huaxia people.
[74] A northwestern non-Huaxia people.
[75] Fenghao was the one-time capital of the Zhou.