Learn Chinese Weekly

Have you made your 2026 new year’s resolution (新年决心 xīnnián juéxīn) yet? If you’re still wondering about what personal improvement to commitment to, let me introduce a well-known Chinese classic to you – 崔瑗的 “座右銘” (zuòyòumíng), or Cuī Yuàn’s “Rules to Live By”. Cuī Yuàn wrote this article about two thousand years ago as a motto for himself. When I was attending middle school in Taiwan, our Chinese language teacher had us memorize it. For a present-day Chinese student, reading classical Chinese (文言 wényán) is akin to an English-speaking student’s reading “The Canterbury Tales” written in Middle English by Geoffrey Chaucer. One kind of knows the meaning, but the archaic text looks rather awkward. I think classical Chinese poems are more enjyable than long prose, such as those narrating the history of the dynasties. In fact, when an old scholar recites a classical Chinese poem, he would often chant it while gently swaying his head and body.

The “Rules to Live By” was written in verse. Notice how every single line ends in the “ang” nasal sound. You might have seen this piece starting with the word 無 (wú without), which is the Traditional Chinese character for 无 (wú without). In the context of this piece, 无 (wú), 毋 (wú don’t) and 勿 (wù don’t), are interchangeable, and they all mean “don’t”.”, i.e. 不要 (bùyào).

毋道人之短，毋说己之长.
Wú dào ren zhī duǎn, wú shuō jǐ zhī cháng.
Don’t talk about others’ shortcomings, and don’t boast of your own strengths.

施人慎勿念，受施慎勿忘.
Shī rén shèn wù niàn, shòu shī shèn wù wàng.
When giving to others, don’t keep thinking about it; when receiving from others, be sure not to forget.

世誉不足慕，唯仁为纪纲.
Shì yù bùzú mù, wéi rén wèi jìgāng.
Worldly fame is not worth pursuing; only benevolence is the guiding principle.

隐心而后动，谤议庸何伤?
Yǐn xīn érhòu dòng, bàng yì yōng hé shāng?
Act with your conscience; then what harm can slander do?

无使名过实，守愚圣所臧.
Wú shǐ míngguò shí, shǒu yú shèng suǒ zāng.
Do not let fame exceed reality; the sage advises staying uncelebrated.

在涅贵不淄，暧暧内含光.
Zài niè guì bù zī, ài ài nèi hán guāng.
In a corrupt environment, the noble stay pure, the light shines inside them.

柔弱生之徒，老氏诫刚强.
Róuruò shēng zhī tú, lǎo shì jiè gāngqiáng.
The gentle are the ones who live; Laozi cautions the strong.

行行鄙夫志，悠悠故难量.
Háng háng bǐ fū jiè, yōuyōu gù nán liàng.
Being bull-necked is the will of the lowly; remaining equanimous leads to boundless future.

慎言节饮食，知足胜不祥.
Shèn yán jié yǐnshí, zhīzú shèng bùxiáng.
Be cautious in speech and moderate in diet; contentment is better than getting into misfortune.

行之苟有恒，久久自芬芳.
Xíng zhī gǒu yǒuhéng, jiǔjiǔ zì fēnfāng.
If you follow this guidance persistently, you will eventually become virtuous, like flowers that naturally give off fragrance.

Classical Chinese writing is very terse, even when it is not in the form of a poem. Let’s paraphrase the first two lines.

不要批評别人的缺点,
Bùyào pīpíng biérén de quēdiǎn,
Don’t criticize other people’s shortcomings,

也不要炫耀自己的优点.
yě bùyào xuànyào zìjǐ de yōudiǎn.
and don’t show off your own strengths.

你給別人的恩惠, 不要念念不忘;
Nǐ gěi biérén de ēnhuì, bùyào niànniànbùwàng;
Do not dwell on the favors you bestowed on others;

別人給你的恩惠, 則注意不要忘记.
biérén gěi nǐ de ēnhuì, zé zhùyì bùyào wàngjì.
but be sure (pay attention) not to forget what others have done for you.

Do you agree that many of the lines in this “座右銘” (zuòyòumíng) could be adopted as someone’s New Year’s resolution? Why not pick one that resonnates with you and “translate” it into colloquial Chinese to serve as your motto?

By the way, this is how to say “Well begun is half done.” in Chinese:

好的开始是成功的一半.
Hǎo de kāishǐ shì chénggōng de yībàn.

Have a Happy 2026!
祝您2026年快乐！
Zhù nín 2026 nián kuàilè!