But great talkers don’t earn much respect.
Admiration from others does not come from
boasting or praising oneself.
己有能。勿自私。
The abilities you yourself have
Should not be used to attain selfish goals.
If I am a very capable person,
I should use my capabilities for the benefit of others.
人所能。勿轻訾。
The abilities others may have
Should not be belittled and scorned.
Other people’s competence
should not be slandered.
勿谄富。勿骄贫。
It’s not right to flatter the rich
Or be arrogant towards the poor.
I will not flatter the rich,
or despise the poor.
勿厌故。勿喜新。
What’s old need not be rejected.
What’s new is not necessarily good.
I will not ignore old friends,
only taking delight in new ones.
人不闲。勿事搅。
If you see a person who’s busy,
Leave him alone until he’s free.
When a person is busy,
I will not bother him with matters.
人不安。勿话扰。
If you see that a person is upset,
Don’t annoy him with idle chatter.
When a person’s mind is not at ease,
I will not bother him with words.
人有短。切莫揭。
Although you may know someone’s faults,
There’s no need to tell everyone.
If a person has a shortcoming,
I will not expose it.
人有私。切莫说。
The personal business of others
Should not be the subject of talk.
If a person has a secret,
I will not tell others.
道人善。即是善。
Praising the virtue of others
Is itself a virtuous deed.
Praising the goodness of others
is a good deed in itself.
人知之。愈思勉。
When people hear they’ve been praised,
They will want to improve even more.
When people are being praised and approved of,
they will be encouraged to try even harder.
扬人恶。即是恶。
There is never anything good
In talking of others’shortcomings.
Spreading rumors about the wrongdoings of others
is a wrongdoing in itself.
疾之甚。祸且作。
If they hear, they will surely resent it;
They will see you mean nothing but trouble.
When the harm done has reached the extreme,
misfortunes will surely follow.
善相劝。德皆建。
We should urge each other towards goodness