谏太宗十思疏 (jiàntàizōngshísīshū): Memorial of Ten Admonitions to Emperor Taizong

Meanings

1 Memorial of Ten Admonitions to Emperor Taizong
2 (fig.) archetype of a loyal minister's formal remonstrance to a ruler, and a standard of Chinese political prose
3 (lit.) admonish Taizong ten-reflections memorial

Characters

谏

jiàn

to remonstrate with / admonish

ancestor (太宗 = 'Great Ancestor,' Taizong, imperial title)

to reflect (十思 = the ten reflections)

疏

shū

memorial to the throne

Examples

高中课本收录了魏征的谏太宗十思疏。

Gāozhōng kèběn shōulùle Wèi Zhēng de Jiàn Tàizōng Shí Sī Shū.

The high-school textbook includes Wei Zheng's 'Memorial of Ten Admonitions to Taizong.'

这篇讲稿的结构有几分像谏太宗十思疏。

Zhè piān jiǎnggǎo de jiégòu yǒu jǐ fēn xiàng Jiàn Tàizōng Shí Sī Shū.

The structure of this speech draft resembles somewhat the 'Memorial of Ten Admonitions to Taizong.'

Tips

history

By 魏征 (Wei Zheng, Tang dynasty, 637 CE), presented to Emperor 唐太宗 (Tang Taizong, Li Shimin) during the Zhenguan era. The essay lays out ten things a ruler must reflect on (十思) — including 'when you see something desirable, think of contentment' (见可欲则思知足) and 'when you fear arrogance, think of the humility of rivers and seas' (惧满盈则思江海下百川). Wei Zheng became the archetype of the honest remonstrating minister; Taizong later said, 'With bronze as a mirror one can straighten one's clothes; with history as a mirror one can see rise and fall; with a man as a mirror one can know gain and loss' — referring to Wei Zheng's death.

usage

疏 here = shū ('memorial / formal petition to the throne'), a Tang political document genre — NOT 'sparse.' Standard text in Chinese senior high school (高中) literature. Referenced whenever discussing honest political advice.