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相鼠

相鼠有皮。
人而無儀。
人而無儀。
不死何為。
相鼠有齒。
人而無止。
人而無止。
不死何俟。
相鼠有體。
人而無禮。
人而無禮。
胡不遄死。

XIANG SHU

Look at a rat, -- it has its skin;
But a man should be without dignity of demeanour.
If a man have no dignity of demeanour,
What should he but die?
Look at a rat, -- it has its teeth;
But a man shall be without any right deportment.
If a man have not right deportment,
What should he wait for but death?
Look at a rat, -- it has its limbs;
But a man shall be without any rules of propriety.
If a man observe no rules of propriety,
Why does he not quickly die?
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IATHPublished by The Institute for Advanced Technology in the Humanities, © Copyright 2003 by Anne Kinney and the University of Virginia