中庸第十六章 Doctrine of the Mean Chapter Sixteen

admin

原文：
子曰：“鬼神之为德，其盛矣乎。
视之而弗见；听之而弗闻；体物而不可遗。
使天下之人，齐明盛服，以承祭祀。洋洋乎，如在其上，如在其左右。
诗曰：‘神之格思，不可度思，矧可射思？’
夫微之显。诚之不可揜，如此夫。”

白话文：
孔子说：“鬼神的德行可真是大得很啊！”
“看它也看不见，听它听不到，但它却体现在万物之中，没有一种事物能够离开它。”
“天下的人都斋戒沐浴，穿上庄重整齐的服装去敬奉祭祀它。浩浩荡荡，鬼神好像飘浮在人们的头上，又仿佛流动在人们的身旁。”
“《诗经》说：‘鬼神的降临，不可揣测，怎么能够怠慢不敬呢？’”
“ 鬼神既看不见又听不到，十分隐微，而善于赐福降祸，又非常明显，真实的东西是不可掩盖的，就像鬼神一样啊！”

英文：
Confucius said: "The virtue of spirits and deities is truly magnificent! Although they cannot be seen with the eyes or heard with the ears, their presence permeates all things without exception. People across the land purify themselves through fasting, don solemn ceremonial robes, and perform sacrificial rites. In these moments, the spirits seem to hover above and surround all sides. As The Book of Songs states: 'The arrival of the divine is beyond human reckoning; how dare we show negligence?' From the subtle to the manifest, the power of sincerity is as undeniable as the existence of these spirits!"