54

"What is firmly rooted cannot be pulled out; What is tightly held in the arms will not slip loose; Through this the offering of sacrifice by descendants will never cometo an end. Cultivate it in your person And its virtue will be genuine; Cultivate it in the family And its virtue will be more than sufficient; Cultivate it in the hamlet And its virtue will endure; Cultivate it in the state And its virtue will abound; Cultivate it in the empire And its virtue will be pervasive. Hence look at the person through the person; Look at the family through the family; Look at the hamlet through the hamlet; Look at the state through the state; Look at the empire through the empire. How do I know that the empire is like that? By means of this."