Copying the Classics · Mingxin Baojian
The gentlest passages for a first-time reader
The title means "a precious mirror that brightens the mind."
Originally compiled by selecting only the good sayings from old books, so it is well suited to copying from the very first page.
Children in Joseon read it right after the Thousand Character Classic, so the sentences are short and the meaning is straight.
How it works
- One passage per sheet — first read the classical Chinese original with your eyes.
- Read the original aloud following the pronunciation guide, then slowly take in the Korean meaning.
- Read the explanation of one word and the short question, then think of where it touches your life.
- Copy it by hand on the blank lines, and hold on to the sentence that stays with you today.
When · with whom
If copying the classics is new to you, start here. It's good to read with a child, too.
Passages chosen from Mingxin Baojian
- Heaven repays those who do good with blessings. / What good deed could you quietly do today?
- If for even one day you hold no kind thought in your heart, all kinds of bad things rise up on their own. / What kind thought do you want to carry from the very start of the day?
- Heaven's net is vast, so vast; its mesh is loose, yet nothing slips through. / What should you hold to even when no one is watching?
- Know contentment and you will always have enough; then, to the end of your days, you will never be shamed. / Where do you need to learn contentment right now?
- Hold back a moment's anger, and you spare yourself a hundred days of worry. / What words will you hold back today so that a moment's anger can pass?
- When you show kindness, do not look for it to be repaid. / What small kindness could you give without expecting anything back?
- When I honor my parents, my children will honor me in turn. / How can you carry on today the heart you saw and learned from?
- When there is harmony at home, all things fall into place. / What is something you could say first, for peace at home?
- Good medicine is bitter in the mouth, and honest words grate on the ear. / What words should you take in even though they grate on your ear?
- Jade that is not carved cannot become a vessel; a person who does not learn cannot know the right way. / What learning will you hold on to now, to shape yourself?
- Learn as though you could never catch up, and hold what you have gained as though you were afraid to lose it. / What learning do you want to cherish, fearing you might lose it?
- A person who does not learn is like someone walking a dark road at night. / What do you need to learn to light up something that felt like a dark road at night?