​維廿九年，時在中春，陽和方起。

​

Now in his twenty-ninth year[1],

In mid-Spring,

As the sun grew warmer, 

​

皇帝東遊，巡登之罘，臨照於海。

​

The Emperor traveled east,

And on this tour he climbed Mount Zhifu,

Gazing out in his splendour over the sea.​

​

從臣嘉觀，原念休烈，追誦本始。

​

His entourage looked on in admiration,

Tracing the foundations of his triumphal progress,

Reflecting upon its origins.

​

大聖作治，建定法度，顯著綱紀。

​

With great wisdom he built his government,

Establishing fixed standards,

Marking out the boundaries of law and order.

​

外教諸矦，光施文惠，明以義理。

 

Externally he instructed the feudal lords;

Letting civil virtues shine forth,

Enlightening through principle.

​

六國囘闢，貪戾無猒，虐殺不已。

​

The six states had been corrupt and perverse,

Insatiably greedy,

With no end to their massacres;

​

皇帝哀眾，遂發討師，奮揚武德。

​

The Emperor took pity upon the masses,

And thus dispatched his avenging troops,

An exemplar of martial honour.

​

義誅信行，威𬊤㫄達，莫不賓服。

​

Just in his punishments and faithful in action,

His power radiating to the horizons,

There were none who did not submit.

​

烹調彊暴，振救黔首，周定四極。

​

He boiled the oppressors alive,

Succouring the common people,

Stabilising the lands in all four directions.

​

普施明法，經緯天下，永為儀則。

​

That the law should be clear to all

And All-Under-Heaven managed according to plan,

Well-regulated for all eternity.

​

大矣□哉！宇縣之中，承順聖意。

​

So vast [missing character],

All the provinces of the earth

Committed to follow his wise counsels.

​

群臣誦功，請刻於石，表垂常式。

​

His assembled servants discoursed on his achievements,

And begged to engrave them on this stone,

To describe and transmit a perpetual example.

​

[1] I.e. the twenty-ninth year since his accession to the Qin throne.