12. Final Exhortation to Learn

犬（quǎn）守（shǒu）夜（yè），（）鸡（jī）司（sī）晨（chén），（）苟（gǒu）不（bù）学（xué），（）曷（hé）为（wéi）人（rén）。（）

Dogs keep watch at night; roosters announce the dawn. If a person does not learn, what makes that person fully human?

Animal instinct is used as contrast. Human distinctiveness is tied to learning, understanding, and responsibility.

蚕（cán）吐（tǔ）丝（sī），（）蜂（fēng）酿（niàng）蜜（mì），（）人（rén）不（bù）学（xué），（）不（bù）如（rú）物（wù）。（）

Silkworms spin silk; bees make honey. If people do not learn, they fall below even these creatures.

The tone is sharp because the passage is exhortation. Learning is presented as the way people fulfill their capacity.

幼（yòu）而（ér）学（xué），（）壮（zhuàng）而（ér）行（xíng），（）上（shàng）致（zhì）君（jūn），（）下（xià）泽（zé）民（mín）。（）

Learn when young and put learning into practice when grown. Above, one may serve the ruler; below, one may benefit the people.

This is the traditional ideal of the scholar-official: learning should become useful action.

扬（yáng）名（míng）声（shēng），（）显（xiǎn）父（fù）母（mǔ），（）光（guāng）于（yú）前（qián），（）裕（yù）于（yú）后（hòu）。（）

One may raise a good name, honor one’s parents, bring credit to ancestors, and leave benefit to descendants.

The line reflects a family-centered society. In modern terms, personal achievement also affects those before and after us.

人（rén）遗（yí）子（zǐ），（）金（jīn）满（mǎn）籯（yíng），（）我（wǒ）教（jiào）子（zi），（）惟（wéi）一（yī）经（jīng）。（）

Others leave their children boxes full of gold; I leave my child this one classic.

The line values education over wealth. It is a fitting ending for a primer built around recitation and moral instruction.

勤（qín）有（yǒu）功（gōng），（）戏（xì）无（wú）益（yì），（）戒（jiè）之（zhī）哉（zāi），（）宜（yí）勉（miǎn）力（lì）。（）

Diligence brings results; idle play brings no lasting benefit. Take warning from this and make an effort.

The ending is plain by design. After nature, learning, categories, classics, and history, the book closes with disciplined effort.

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