The original text is: If the ancient desire is clearly superior to the world, rule the country first. If you want to govern your country, you should first get your family together. If you want to keep your family together, you should trim your body first. If you want to repair your body, correct your heart first. If you want to be right, be sincere first. If you want to be sincere, let him know first. Knowledge lies in things.

things are well known, well known and sincere, sincere and upright, upright and upright, upright and upright, well-trained and well-maintained, well-maintained and well-governed, well-governed and well-governed.

Vernacular translation:

Knowledge can only be acquired through understanding and studying everything; Only after acquiring knowledge can the mind be sincere; Only when the mind is sincere can the mind be correct; You can cultivate your body and mind only after you have a correct mind; Only after physical and mental cultivation can we manage our family and family well.

Only after the family and clan are well managed can the country be well managed; Only by governing the country well can the world be at peace. From the monarch of a country to the common people, everyone should take self-cultivation as the foundation.

This sentence comes from the ancient book Book of Rites University.

Extended information:

The Book of Rites University was never published separately before the Southern Song Dynasty, and it is said that it was written by Confucius' disciple Zeng Shen (55-434 BC). In the Tang Dynasty, Han Yu and Li Ao regarded Daxue and The Doctrine of the Mean as equally important "classics" as Mencius and Yijing. In Song Dynasty, "Er Cheng" and Zhu Xizu expounded this view and tried their best to praise its position in Confucian classics, aiming at promoting Neo-Confucianism.

Zhu Xi called The Great Learning, The Doctrine of the Mean, The Analects of Confucius and Mencius "Four Books", which were published in the first year of Shaoxi in the Southern Song Dynasty (119) and carved into a Collection of Notes on Four Books. Because The Analects of Confucius recorded Confucius' words and deeds, The Great Learning was written by Ceng Zi, The Doctrine of the Mean was written by Zi Si, and The Doctrine of the Mean was written by Zi Si. During Yuan Yanyou's reign, the scholars were tested with the Notes on Four Books and Sentences, and since then, the Four Books have become a must-read classic for scholars.