Source of the work: Zhuge Liang Collection quoted in Pei Songzhi's Notes on the Three Kingdoms.

Original text (excerpt):

Don't do it with little evil, and don't do it with little good. Only virtue and virtue can serve others. Your father's virtue is thin, don't let it work. Reading Han Shu's Book of Rites, observing philosophers and reading Tamia Liu's books are beneficial to people's minds. I heard that the Prime Minister had finished writing Shen, Han, Guan Zi and Liu Tao, but he didn't send them, so he died. You can ask Wen Da more.

Don't do bad things because you are small, and don't do good things because you are small. Only talent and noble character can convince others. Neither your father nor I are virtuous, so don't follow suit.

You can read Hanshu and Book of Rites, and systematically read the works of pre-Qin philosophers, Liu Tao and Shang Jun when you have time, which will be of great help to people's thinking and wisdom. It is said that the Prime Minister once copied Shen Zi, Han Feizi, Guan Zi and Tamia Liu for you, but he lost them on the way before giving them to you. You can find a learned person to learn these things by yourself.

Extended data

Allusions:

This is what Liu Bei said in his last testament to his son Liu Chan. The original sentence reads: "Don't do little evil, don't do little good. Only virtue and virtue can serve people. " The purpose is to persuade him to study in Germany and make a difference.

Don't stop doing good things because of small things, let alone doing bad things because of small things. Many small good deeds will become great good deeds for the world, while many small evil deeds will be "enough to confuse the country".

Liu Beiwen of the Three Kingdoms said, "Don't do small evil, don't do small good." . This sentence is about the truth of being a man, as long as it is good, even small kindness should be done; As long as it is "evil", even a small evil can not be done. This sentence deserves to be known and remembered by the world. Later, the world preached that "don't do evil, don't do good."